Are We Doing More Harm Than Good? A prospective study of patients with suspected cervical spine injury.

Patients with suspected cervical spine injury (CSI) caused by blunt trauma present commonly to Emergency Departments. All patients with suspected CSI require risk stratification to determine the need for and the type of diagnostic imaging (DI). Given that the complications of a missed CSI can be serious, clinicians generally have a low threshold for performing DI. While being cognisant of this risk, it is also important to consider the potential harms of DI. Imaging rates in patients with suspected CSI are high, while the incidence of positive findings is low and of clinically significant injuries is lower again. Little is known about the DI practices in the Australasian region. The study will answer the question: What proportion of ED patients, who present with acute trauma to a tertiary hospital with suspected cervical spine injury and undergo cervical spine imaging and have clinically important abnormalities detected?