Low-Value Imaging in Pediatric Emergency Care: U.S. and Canada

One of the main tenets of quality improvement in healthcare is “effective” care — care that avoids overuse or underuse of services. Overuse of diagnostic imaging in pediatric emergency care is a key component of the Choosing Wisely campaign.

Using administrative health data from four EDs in Ontario, Canada, and 26 in the U.S., researchers analyzed use of imaging in children (age, ≤18 years) for the following “low-value” conditions (i.e., those in which imaging is not indicated in the vast majority of cases): asthma, bronchiolitis, abdominal pain, constipation, concussion, febrile convulsion, seizures, and headaches. The analysis included roughly 1.8 million ED visits in Canada and 21.8 million in the U.S. from 2006 to 2016.

Overall, children …