Evaluation of the Necessity of CT Scan Requests in Hospitals Affiliated With Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran, in 2019

Background: A computed tomography (CT) scan is one of the medical imaging methods that is currently used to diagnose and treat numerous diseases in a timely manner. Therefore, the widespread use of ionizing radiation in recent years has raised concerns about cancer. Given that individuals are exposed to ionizing radiation during a CT scan, they might be at a higher risk of developing cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the necessity of CT scan requests in hospitals affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran, in 2019. Methods: The statistical population consisted of 1,034 patients, selected by purposive sampling and relevant statistical formula. Patients’ information included gender, age, electronic code, and the imaged area. All the data were extracted by considering all ethical principles and recorded in prepared checklists. Additionally, the normality or abnormality of each CT scan was determined based on a radiologist’s report. The obtained information was analyzed by SPSS software (version 22). Results: Out of 1,034 patients, 547 (52.9%) and 487 (47.1%) subjects were female and male, respectively. The CT scans consisted of 687 (66.44%), 296 (28.62%), and 51 (4.93%) of the brain, abdomen-pelvis, and neck, respectively. The lowest and highest percentages of unnecessary cases belonged to the CT scans of the neck (31.37%) and brain (64.48%). Conclusions: In all tests, 58.6% of CT scans performed on patients were unnecessary. In addition to high doses of radiation endangering the patient’s health, these unnecessary procedures impose additional costs on the hospital and the patient.