Medics urged to cut down on ‘needless’ X-rays
Liam Murray, radiography services manager at St Johns Hospital in Limerick, said up to 40% of X-rays are unnecessary. St John’s has the shortest waiting time for routine X-rays in the mid-west, and deals with GP referrals within three days compared with a waiting time of more than three weeks at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
Mr Murray said GPs and hospital medical staff need to tighten up on the screening process to avoid people clogging A&E departments for needless X-rays.
Mr Murray said: “A high proportion of medical staffing in some A&E departments may be inexperienced junior doctors and this can encourage a culture of defensive medicine.
“This is where tests and examinations are requested not because of patient needs but because doctors feel a need to protect themselves from any possible future liability to legal action.”
Mr Murray said adherence to evidence-based clinical referral criteria, departmental protocols and good note keeping is sufficient to safeguard against any potential future legal action.
He said: “Radiographers and other healthcare professionals should be empowered and encouraged to refuse to perform inappropriate examinations.
“As it is estimated that up to 40% of diagnostic X-ray examinations are unhelpful or inappropriate, this approach can have a very significant and immediate impact on radiology access times and reports.”
Mr Murray said routine GP patients should have faster access to X-ray appointments to reduce the pressure on A&Es. &
“An effective and efficient appointment system allows for patient access at more convenient times and in a controlled manner. Patients with no history of trauma or who are not emergencies should be referred back to their GP,” he added.
Mr Murray said considerable pressure for inappropriate diagnostic tests comes from patients.
“Doctors generally don’t have the time to fully explain that an X-ray exam is not necessary in all situations,” he said.
Requests for unnecessary or inappropriate tests only serve to clog up the system and contribute to the delay for genuine accident and emergency cases.”
Mr Murray also said that doctors who are referring patients to hospitals for X-ray must be more discerning when requesting X-ray examinations.
He said: “All referrals must be in line with national referring guidelines and healthcare professionals must be empowered and encouraged to refuse inappropriate referrals.”
