| Title: | An audit of the Documentation of Well’s score and or D-Dimers for CTPA requests in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
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| Author(s): | D. McMorrough J. Kahn S. Gaine |
| Institution: | Mater Misericodiae University Hospital |
| Poster: | Click to view poster |
| Category: | General Respiratory and Sleep |
| Abstract: | HSE & Mater Misercordiae University Hospital (MMUH) guidelines state a patient requiring a CTPA should have both D-Dimer and Wells score documented on the order. This study aimed to review CTPA orders made over 2 discreet 7-day periods in January (n=38) and May 2020 (n=33) in cases where Pulmonary Embolus was suspected. There orders were examined to evaluate the proportion of CTPA orders that took D-Dimer, Well’s Score or both into account, in accordance with the agreed standard of care. While no CTPA ordered during the study period took both metrics into account, there was a significant increase in the proportion of orders that mentioned D-Dimer levels from 24% in January to 58% of orders made in May. The proportion of orders that included a Well’s score fell from 15% to 3% from January to May. While there was an increase in the proportion of orders that recorded D-Dimers, there is still significant room for improvement the ordering of CTPA scans. In particular, when coupled with the negative predictive value of D-Dimer levels, the inclusion of a Wells score could help reduce the burden of unnecessary scans on both patients and the radiology departments across the HSE. |
