A One-Year Study on the Rationality of Requested Sonography in Emergent Patients at Ayatollah Kashani University Hospital in Shahrekord City, Iran

Sonography imaging in emergent situations is of easy-access with an ever-increasing demand. The aim of the current study was to determine the justification of sonography in emergent patients at a tertiary provincial referent medical center in a one-year period. In a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study, 400 emergent patients underwent sonography imaging during the year 2017 were selected using systematic random sampling method. The data of age, gender, anatomic area, sonography number, Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) sonography, and diagnosis were extracted from patient profiles, and were entered in a researcher-made checklist. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Men patients represented 60.0% of the requested sonography cases, and 40.0% of the exams were performed in the patient at the age range of 20 to 40 years old. 73.0% of patients underwent FAST sonography, required subsequent diagnostic sonography investigation, while FAST sonography led only to a diagnosis in 50.0% of the patients. 63.5% of the patients underwent more than one repeated sonography investigations. Diagnostic efficiency of FAST sonography was found to be underpowered in the current study. This caused wasting the resources, as well inflicting diagnostic retard in the emergent and urgent setting. The training of FAST sonography needs to be reviewed and revised, regarding its rationality and appropriate implementation.