The NJ Hospital Association (NJHA) Institute for Quality and Patient Safety, working with the N.J. Council of Children’s Hospitals, is kicking off a collaborative effort to reduce exposure to ionizing radiation for children by reducing the use of computed tomography (CT) scans in instances of head injuries. NJHA encourages all hospitals to join the collaborative.
All emergency department staff have been counseled to participate in the collaborative and to use other means of imaging in place of CT scans unless it is an absolute emergency situation. Emergency department staff have also been counseled on ordering unnecessary CT scans on patients who are neurologically intact. In these situations, observation is the recommended treatment.
Dr. Mazzola and her staff at the New Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute support the collaborative to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure in pediatric patients and have been actively involved with the education process. Dr. Mazzola and the staff at NJPNI recommend avoiding any unnecessary ionizing radiation if possible.
For more information about radiation and kids: https://www.imagegently.org/