Comparison between the two study periods, one before and one after the abolition of skull x rays
| 1998–1999 | 2002–2003 | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Mann–Whitney U test. | |||
| †Fisher exact test. | |||
| CT, computed tomography; HDU, high dependency unit; IQR, interquartile range; ITU, intensive therapy unit. | |||
| Head injuries >1 and <14 years | 1535 | 1867 | |
| Male:female ratio | 975:560 | 1248:619 | 0.42† |
| Median age (years) (IQR) | 5.02 (2.49 to 8.38) | 4.87 (2.53 to 8.56) | 0.62* |
| Urgent triage (1 or 2) | 44 (2.9%) | 50 (2.7%) | 0.75† |
| Delayed triage (3 or 4) | 1491 (97.1%) | 1817 (97.3%) | |
| Skull x rays | 340 (22.1%) | 0 | |
| Number of one view x rays | 7 (2.1%) | 0 | |
| Number of two view x rays | 233 (68.5%) | 0 | |
| Number of three view x rays | 100 (29.4%) | 0 | |
| Normal skull x rays | 328 (96.5%) | 0 | |
| Abnormal skull x rays | 12 (3.5%) | 0 | |
| Skull x ray total radiation dose | 37.65 mSv | 0 mSv | |
| Head CT | 16 (1.0%) | 39 (2.1%) | 0.02† |
| Abnormal CT | 4 (25.0%) | 10 (25.6%) | 0.62† |
| CT total radiation dose | 32.0 mSv | 78.0 mSv | |
| Discharged | 1381 (89.9%) | 1664 (89.1%) | 0.43† |
| Admitted | 154 (10.1%) | 203 (10.9%) | |
| ITU/HDU | 5 (3.2%) | 13 (6.0%) | 0.23† |
| Ward | 149 (96.1%) | 190 (93.6%) | |
| Total radiation dosage | 69.65 mSv | 78.0 mSv | |
| Radiation dosage/head injury | 0.045 mSv | 0.042 mSv | |
| Intracranial injuries | 3 (0.20%) | 7 (0.37%) | 0.53† |
| Neurosurgical intervention | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.10%) | 0.30† |