A quality improvement project: Reducing the number of unnecessary plain abdominal radiographs performed in the emergency department of a London district general hospital

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate completion of abdominal radiographs results in unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation. This quality improvement project aimed to reduce the number of inappropriate abdominal radiographs performed in the emergency department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Abdominal radiograph request forms were analyzed with reference to the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) iRefer guidance. A teaching session was then delivered to ED clinicians and posters were disseminated within the department. Post-intervention data collection followed. RESULTS: Following the intervention, there was an increase in the proportion of abdominal radiographs meeting iRefer guidance, which was accompanied by an increased diagnostic yield of these investigations. There was a reduction in the number of requests post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Our interventions helped increase awareness of both the guidelines and radiation dose associated with each study. Routine education of the iRefer guidelines will help reduce inappropriate requests. This in turn will reduce unnecessary radiation exposure, whilst also reducing the financial burden.