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September 3 (UPI) – Despite calls by health professionals to reduce the overuse of medical imaging – and the health risks involved – the number of computer tomographies and magnetic resonance scans is still increasing in the United States, according to a new study.
The number of CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds has increased by 1 to 5% between 2012 and 2016, according to a study published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
After the global use of medical imaging slowed in the early 2000s, it rebounded between 2009 and 2013, researchers report.
"Medical imaging is an important part of health care and contributes to accurate diagnosis and treatment of the disease, but it can also lead to harm to patients such as incidents, overdiagnosis, malnutrition, and other medical conditions. anxiety and radiation exposure associated with increased risk of cancer, "said the manager. author Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a researcher at the University of California at San Francisco and lead author of the study, said in a press release.
The research included insurance data for HMOs and PPOs with fee-for-service plans for up to 21 million adults and pediatric patients from seven health care systems in the United States and Ontario, Canada. In total, the study has compiled 135.7 million exams.
The results showed that MRIs and CT scans were particularly high in recent years. In the United States, for example, there were 51 MRI scans per 1,000 older adult patients in 2016.
Between 2000 and 2005, nearly 10% of seniors received a CT scan, before falling by less than 1% between 2006 and 2011. This number has returned to 3% of the annual growth of the last five years.
While the total number of images has increased, children's CT scans have dropped between 2009 and 2013 and have remained stable since then. All other children's imaging numbers, however, continued to increase.
Imaging tests have as much impact on young people as on older people. Another study found that CT scans have quadrupled since 1996, exposing unborn children and mothers to a number of ailments.
To address the problem of overestimates, medical experts launched the "Wisely Choosing" initiative in 2012, a campaign designed by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and endorsed by 85 medical organizations.
"Although most doctors know that imaging tests are often overused, there are not enough evidence-based guidelines that rely on a careful examination of evidence, including information about the benefits and harms that can inform their testing decisions, "said Smith-Bindman. "In the absence of balanced evidence, the default decision is to create an image."
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