Appropriateness of imaging decisions for low back pain presenting to the emergency department: a retrospective chart review study.
Adrian C TraegerGustavo C MachadoSally BathMartin TranLucinda RoperCrystian B OliveiraAimie PeekDanielle CoombsAmanda HallElise TcharkhedianChristopher G MaherPublished in: International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (2021)
In this study of emergency care, there was evidence of not only overuse of lumbar imaging but also underuse through failure to request lumbar imaging when indicated or referral for an uninformative imaging modality. These three issues seem more important targets for quality improvement than solely focusing on overuse.