Minor head injury (MHT) is one of the most common causes of all trauma\nadmissions and it is still controversial to manage adequately. Although the incidence\nof clinically significant traumatic brain injury is low in this group, the\nconsequences of missing clinically important problem are potentially life\nthreatening. Early diagnosis of intracranial hematoma by computed tomography\nscan (CT) followed by early surgery is very important in the treatment\nof such patients. Thus, there has been a tendency to use high levels of diagnostic\nimaging in these conditions. There are many decision rules for the use\nof computed tomography (CT) for patients with minor head injury. This survey\nis to determine the awareness and utilization rates of these head CT rules\namong our emergency physicians (EP). Questionnaire was randomly sent to\nEPs from different ministry of health hospitals in Makkah. Our participants\nwere asked about their awareness of such rules and their applications in their\ncareers. Data were collected and analyzed by SPSS V16.0. The awareness and\nutilization rate of clinical decision rules among 91 ER physicians who responded\nwere 54.4% and 42.2% respectively. The barriers to utilize such rules\nwere the working environment and increased chances of getting lawsuits,\nwhich were 55.4% and 61.7% respectively. 91.1% of those physicians would\nlike to receive guidance on how to apply such rules in their daily practices.\nThere is a misunderstanding of the definition of minor head injury, despite\nthe high number of head traumas, which led to request more CT scan. This\nwill be a burden on the healthcare system and will lead to more radiation exposure.\nMore educations regarding head CT rules will result in better utilizing\nof our resources and reduction in radiation risks.
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