The fifth #WILTW post

So I could have written about 5 different blogs such was the intensity of learning this week! A few of them probably need more reflection so I leave you with this; a little more medical than usual but I hope understandable to all.

One of my consultant colleagues sent around this interesting website: xrayrisk.com

This was timely as I have only just been reviewing the latest evidence on when you need to do a Head CT (brain scan) in children who have a head injury and their only symptom is vomiting. This recent paper makes interesting reading.

Essentially if your child has a head injury and they only have vomiting afterwards it’s likely they don’t have anything seriously wrong with them. Paediatrician’s have always felt uncomfortable about CT scanning children uncessarily as their chance of developing a  brain tumour may increase. This assumption has recently been challenged but I think remains a valid concern. The interesting thing about this x-ray risk website and similar resources is how is this publicly available information going to be used? Is it possible a parent may come to the Emergency Department and know more about the risks/benefits of scanning children with a head injury than I do? Although this may seem uncomfortable I think clinicians are increasingly becoming curators and examiners of knowledge rather than gatekeepers of it (the #FOAMed world is a great example of this). What is important is that we are aware of the common sources of information that patients and their families may use and know the values and evidence base behind them. This acceptance comes with the responsibility of trying to be familiar with the sources of information available. So if anyone does use x-rayrisk.com and spots something interesting please let me know!

What did you learn this week? #WITLW