Using QI to break bad habits

When you take your car to Meineke, chances are you will get a muffler. Well, it seems when you take children to the emergency department or an urgent care center for abdominal pain due to constipation, chances are they will get an abdominal x-ray (AXR). Children discharged with a diagnosis of constipation account for up to 25% of cases seen in some emergency departments or urgent care centers, and as many as 30%-90% will have an AXR as part of their evaluation. Evidenced-based guidelines for the “Evaluation and Treatment of Functional Constipation in Infants and Children” published jointly by the North American and European Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, state the diagnosis of functional constipation is based on history and examination and, in the ab sence of alarm signs and symptoms, routine use of an AXR has no role in the diagnosis.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: The Editors' Perspectives Source Type: research