Assessment of Unjustified Brain Ct Requests in The Emergency Room of The Public Health Care System in Palestine Case Study: Hebron Governmental Hospital

Abstract

Computed tomography (CT), which gives doctors a precise cross-sectional image that clearly shows the features of the organs, is one of the most crucial pieces of medical imaging equipment. In contrast to other equipment, the CT scan may expose the patient to a very high dose of radiation. As a result of the hazards associated with imaging patients, the use of CT images must be restricted, especially when imaging the head. The aim of the study is to the evaluation of the percentage of unjustified brain CT requests at the emergency rooms of the governmental health sector in Palestine. The 1957-built Hebron Governmental Hospital (HGH) was chosen as a research study case with a clinical capacity of 237 beds and 596 staff members; it is one of the key Palestinian government hospitals currently operating in the Hebron Governorate of the West Bank-Palestine. Samples were taken from the hospital's emergency room between the first of the year and the end of the year in 2021. 6152 or so brain CT images were gathered. Following that, 500 instances were picked for the investigation. Radiologists were asked to assess 100 of these 500 cases to determine whether the patient needed a scan or not. According to the study, 78% of brain tomography images were for unjustifiable reasons. Additionally, it was revealed by the study's results that unnecessary head CT scans were more common than those from retrospective investigations. In particular, non-specialized doctors who request cross-sectional brain imaging for no apparent reason are to blame for this because of their lack of knowledge.