Routine thoracic radiography for psychiatric inpatients.
Screening chest x-rays are routinely obtained for psychiatric as well as other patients. The authors present data that suggest that this practice no longer has a sound medical basis and should be eliminated or modified. It is unlikely that routine radiography of the chest is of practical benefit to adult psychiatric patients who are clinically healthy and are under age 40.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D013909:Thorax / Q000002:abnormalities; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data