Citation

Sammy I. Emerg. Med. J. 2006; 23(2): 160.

Affiliation

University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; psam@tstt.net.tt

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/emj.2005.024430

PMID

16439759

PMCID

PMC2564050

Abstract

Letter: I read with some surprise Dr Leaman's article on the impact of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on a district general hospital. I am truly confused at the level of anxiety this topic is causing in the UK. In most other developed countries, the use of skull x rays has long been abandoned in favour of the selected use of computed tomography (CT) scans in patients with head injuries. Although I appreciate the increased resource implications inherent in the implementation of these guidelines, I really do not see a viable alternative, apart from reliance on an outdated mode of investigation (skull x ray) in what should be a first world setting. In our paediatric department, we started relying on a modified version of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines in 2001. (Continues...)