AVOID EXCESSIVE TESTING

Medical imaging can be life saving, but computed-tomographic (CT) scans and other tests also pose risks. The average radiation dose from medical imaging is estimated to be six times higher now than it was a few decades ago. A 2009 analysis of nearly one million medical records suggests that roughly 20 percent of the adults in the U.S. younger than 65 have a moderate or higher annual dose of radiation.

Such exposure increases cancer risk, especially in younger people and women. For example, CT scans of the heart cause one extra cancer for every 270 40-year-old women who undergo the test, researchers estimate. Yet in a study of CT scans investigating abdominal, hip, or pelvic pain, only 9 percent of emergency-room doctors knew that the scans increased cancer risk.

To reduce unnecessary imaging:

Make sure that the scan is really necessary and that there aren’t simpler safer options.

Avoid duplicate tests. Make sure that medical records travel with you to different departments and facilities. A study of 410 patients transferred to trauma centers found that more than half had imaging tests repeated.

Ask about guidelines. Following established protocols could reduce the number of unnecessary CT scans by 20 – 40 percent. For example, most people seen in an ER with only minor head trauma and normal neurological scans don’t require a CT scan of the head.

Consumer Reports, December 2010