The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) approves of the U.K. Department of Health's report on justification of CT for individual health assessments.
The report recommends circumstances in which CT scanning may be justified in people without symptoms. The recommendations underpin the importance of a considered and fully informed decision to undergo a CT scan in the context of a voluntary procedure such as an individual health assessment, the RCR said.
The report emphasizes the need for clinical judgment and proper evidence to inform decisions about when CT scans in asymptomatic individuals may be more harmful than not, according to Dr. Peter Cavanagh, vice president of clinical radiology for the RCR.
The RCR is concerned about the potentially harmful practice of offering CT scans as part of an individual health assessment in circumstances in which appropriate professional advice may not be available and, thus, individuals may not be fully informed about the risks and the potential benefits, said Mary Evans, a lay member of RCR's Clinical Radiology Faculty Board.
"The patient's clinical needs must always inform a personalized recommendation on whether a CT scan is advisable, balancing this with careful consideration of the risks of radiation exposure," she said.
The RCR hopes the recommendations will be adopted quickly so that, together with a trained healthcare professional, people can make an informed decision about whether a CT scan is indeed right for them.
The Department of Health's recommendations may be accessed here.
