Minority kids less likely to get CT in ED

African-American and Hispanic children are less likely than white children to receive a cranial CT scan in an emergency department (ED) following minor head trauma, according to a study presented on October 14 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting in Boston.

Researchers reviewed data on children from one of 25 trauma centers in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) to analyze CT use following a head injury, based on the child's potential for traumatic brain injury.

Of the 42,412 children enrolled in the study, all of whom were evaluated for head trauma, 39,717 (94%) were documented as Hispanic, African-American, or white. Of that total, 13,793 children (35%) received a CT scan.

While there was no significant difference by race/ethnicity in the likelihood that a child deemed at higher risk for a traumatic brain injury would receive a CT scan, white children at the lowest risk were significantly more likely to receive a CT scan.

The results show that among children who have minor head trauma but are at low risk for clinically important brain injury, white children received cranial CT scans more frequently than African-American or Hispanic children, said Dr. Alexander Rogers, from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI.

"The cause of this disparity is likely multifactorial, but this study highlights the importance of strong, evidence-based guidelines to assure equal and optimal care," he said.