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- Title
Radiation safety education and diagnostic imaging in pediatric patients with surgically treated hydrocephalus: the patient and family perspective.
- Authors
Armao, Diane; Hartman, Terry S.; Katz, Laurence; Shea, Christopher M.; Koschnitzky, Jenna; Yang, Richard; Smith, J. Keith; Quinsey, Carolyn
- Abstract
Purpose: Surgically treated hydrocephalus patients are frequently imaged with head computed tomography (CT), and risk/benefit communication with families is inconsistent and unknown. We aimed to educate patients and caregivers about radiation safety in CT and explore their communication preferences. Methods: We conducted a pediatric CT radiation safety and diagnostic imaging educational workshop for patients and caregivers at a national conference on hydrocephalus to characterize current practice and desired communication about CT imaging. Our workshop consisted of an interactive educational intervention with pre-/post-session surveys followed by feedback from participants. Results: Our session included 34 participants (100% response rate for surveys) with 28 being parents of individuals with hydrocephalus. A total of 76% (n = 26) participants showed an increase in knowledge after the session (p < 0.01). All participants (N = 34) uniformly desired risk/benefit discussions before CT scans. However, 71% stated that they were not informed of risks/benefits of CT scans by a medical professional. Following the session, the number of participants indicating that informed consent should be obtained before CT scans increased from 30 to 33. Respondents also revealed that 14% of children and young adults had received > 100 CT scans for shunt evaluation with the median being 25 scans (IQR 20). Conclusions: Caregivers desire and deserve to be empowered through education and social support, and continuously engaged through sharing decisions and co-designing care plans. The neurosurgical community is in an ideal position to collaborate with radiologists, primary care providers, and parents in the development and testing of credible, high-quality online and social media resources.
- Subjects
COMPUTED tomography; CHILD patients; DIAGNOSTIC imaging; SAFETY education; PATIENTS' families; PICTURE archiving &; communication systems; CAREGIVER attitudes
- Publication
Child's Nervous System, 2021, Vol 37, Issue 2, p491
- ISSN
0256-7040
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00381-020-04822-0