1. Variation in use of neuroimaging in the care of infants undergoing subspecialty evaluations for abuse: A multicenter study.
- Author
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Alpert E, Wood JN, Shults J, Lindberg DM, Campbell KA, Bhatia A, Anderst JD, Bachim A, Berger RP, Brink FW, Frasier LD, Harper N, Laub N, Melville J, Leonard J, and Henry MK
- Abstract
Objectives: (1) To quantify hospital-level variation in use of neuroimaging to screen for intracranial injury (ICI) among infants without overt signs or symptoms of head trauma undergoing subspecialty evaluations for physical abuse; (2) to assess for disproportionality in neuroimaging based on race/ethnicity and insurance type., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of infants age <12 months receiving subspecialty child abuse evaluations from 02/2021 - 12/2022 at 10 sites in CAPNET, a multicenter child abuse research network. Infants were included if they underwent a skeletal survey and lacked overt signs of possible ICI or blunt head injury. Outcome was completion of neuroimaging (computed tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between demographic, clinical, and hospital factors with neuroimaging use., Results: Of 1,114 infants, 746 (67%) underwent neuroimaging ranging from 51% to 80% across CAPNET hospitals. In multivariable analysis, young age, presence of rib fracture(s), and site had significant associations with neuroimaging. Insurance type and race/ethnicity did not contribute significantly to the model. After adjustment for case-mix, there was significant variation across hospitals, with neuroimaging use ranging from 51% (95% CI: 43%, 59%) to 79% (95% CI 71%, 88%) CONCLUSION: We identified significant variation in neuroimaging use across CAPNET hospitals, highlighting the need for guideline development and care standardization during the care of infants undergoing abuse evaluations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Berger, Dr. Brink, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Harper, Dr. Henry, Dr. Frasier, Dr. Melville, and Dr. Wood have provided testimony in cases with concern for child physical abuse for which their institutions received payment. Dr. Lindberg and Dr. Frasier have provided paid expert witness testimony in cases with concern for child physical abuse., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)
- Published
- 2024
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