Author(s)

Milckisédek Judicaël Marouruana Some^1*, Aïda Ida Tankoano², Pakisba Ali Ouedraogo¹, Bassirou Kindo¹, Nina-Astrid Ouedraogo³, Mohammed Ali Harchaoui⁴

¹Department of Medical Imaging, The Ouahigouya Regional University Hospital University of Ouahigouya, Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso.
²Department of Medical Imaging, Souro Sanou University Hospital, Nazi Boni University, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
³Department of Medical Imaging, Bogodogo University Hospital, Joseph Ki Zerbo University, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
⁴Private Radiologist, Lille, France.

Introduction: Chest radiography is the most frequently prescribed imaging test in general practice in France. We aimed to assess the extent to which general practitioners follow the recommendations of the French National Authority for Health in prescribing chest radiography. Methodology: We conducted a retrospective analysis study, in two radiology centers belonging to the same group in Saint-Omer and Aire-sur-la-Lys, of requests for chest radiography sent by general practitioners over the winter period between December 22, 2013, and March 21, 2014, for patients aged over 18 years. Results: One hundred and seventy-seven requests for chest X-rays were analyzed, 71.75% of which complied with recommendations. The most frequent reason was the search for bronchopulmonary infection, accounting for 70.08% of prescriptions, followed by 11.2% for requests to rule out pulmonary neoplasia, whereas the latter reason did not comply with recommendations. Chest X-rays contributed to a positive diagnosis in 28.81% of cases. The positive diagnosis was given by 36.22% of the recommended chest X-rays, versus 10% for those not recommended. Conclusion: In most cases, general practitioners follow HAS recommendations for prescribing chest X-rays. Non-recommended chest X-rays do not appear to make a major contribution to diagnosis or patient management, confirming the value of following the recommendations of the French National Authority for Health.

Chest X-Ray, Recommendations, General Practitioners, Prescription

Some, M. , Tankoano, A. , Ouedraogo, P. , Kindo, B. , Ouedraogo, N. and Harchaoui, M. (2024) Chest Radiography: General Practitioners’ Compliance with Recommendations. Open Journal of Medical Imaging, 14, 56-63. doi: 10.4236/ojmi.2024.142005.