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    Am Fam Physician. 1999 Dec;60(9):2599-608.

    Acute knee injuries: use of decision rules for selective radiograph ordering.

    Source

    Department of Family Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

    Abstract

    Family physicians often encounter patients with acute knee trauma. Radiographs of injured knees are commonly ordered, even though fractures are found in only 6 percent of such patients and emergency department physicians can usually discriminate clinically between fracture and nonfracture. Decision rules have been developed to reduce the unnecessary use of radiologic studies in patients with acute knee injury. The Ottawa knee rules and the Pittsburgh decision rules are the latest guidelines for the selective use of radiographs in knee trauma. Application of these rules may lead to a more efficient evaluation of knee injuries and a reduction in health costs without an increase in adverse outcomes.

    PMID:
    10605994
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
    Free full text

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