Low-Value Computed Tomography for Children in the Emergency Department: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

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Repeated cross-sectional study highlights increased low-value CT scans in children across various hospital types and specialties.

Increased use of low-value computed tomography among children in nonpediatric emergency departments is concerning, as high rates were noted across specialties.
Among 599,948 pediatric ED discharges, only 1.2% for abdominal pain and 11.4% for neurological conditions received a CT scan, indicating low necessity.
Multivariable logistic regression showed that children at adult academic and community hospitals were more likely to receive CT scans than those at pediatric academic hospitals.
Strategies targeting specific hospital types and physician specialties are needed to reduce unnecessary CT scan usage in children.

Freire et al. (2025) studied this question.

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