Imaging

Use these resources as a guide to medical imaging in the emergency department.

Imaging guidelines

These sites provide a range of guidelines to guide the appropriate choice of diagnostic imaging in clinical situations:

• American College of Radiology
• Canadian Association of Radiologists 2021-2022 Diagnostic imaging referral guidelines
• Radiology Across Borders: Diagnostic imaging pathways

Choosing Wisely

Choosing Wisely Australia
Resources for clinicians and consumers, listing tests, treatments and procedures that they should question.
Source: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Specific medical college recommendations on tests and studies to avoid:

• Australasian College for Emergency Medicine recommendations
• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists recommendations

Education

• C-spine imaging in ED: A point of care guide to interpreting CTs, plain films and rationalising their use in ED (PDF 3.5 MB)
  Published: Jun 2015. Next review: 2026.
  Source: ECI
• CT head in ED: A point of care guide to interpreting CTBs and rationalising their use in ED (PDF 2.3 MB)
  Published: Jun 2015. Next review: 2026.
  Source: ECI
• How to read a head CT (PDF 1.8 MB)
  Published: June 2019. Next review: 2026.
  Source: ECI
• Radiology imaging database
  A collection of over 120,000 pathological images.
  Source: Life in the Fast Lane

Patient fact sheets

• Medical imaging in pregnancy
  Source: ECI
• Medical Imaging Network fact sheets
  Fact sheets on CT scans, MRI and MRI with gadolinium-based contrast injections. 
  Source: Agency for Clinical Innovation

Further resources

• Inside Radiology
  Provides useful information for consumers as well as providers on the indicators, contraindicators and risks of each radiological test.
  Source: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists
• RANZCR Standards of Practice for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology
  See page 47 - 10-1-1 Monitors – General X-Ray, CR/DR - The interpretation and reporting of general x-ray, CR examinations are carried out on monitors with a minimum resolution of 1600x1200 MP colour/monochrome.
  Source: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists