Akureyri Hospital
A new study reveals differences in imaging use among adolescents treated in adult and pediatric trauma teams
26th February 2026
Bergþór Steinn Jónsson bráðalæknir og barnabráðalæknir á SAk birti nýlega grein ásamt meðhöfundum frá Mayo Clinic og Children's Minnesota í vísindaritinu Pediatric Emergency Care. Rannsóknin bendir til þess að læknar í áverkateymum fyrir fullorðna noti tölvusneiðmyndir mun oftar en barnateymi þegar þeir sinna unglingum með áverka, þrátt fyrir sambærilegan alvarleika áverkanna.
Bergþór Steinn Jónsson, emergency physician and pediatric emergency physician at SAk (Akureyri Hospital)
The study examined data from a large hospital in the United States that provides diagnostic and treatment services for injured adults and children. Data from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed, comparing patients aged 12–14 who were treated by a pediatric trauma team with patients aged 15–17 who were treated by an adult trauma team.
The results showed that whole-body CT scans (head, neck, chest, and abdomen) were performed in 64% of cases by the adult team when patients arrived directly from the scene of injury, compared with only 12% of cases managed by the pediatric team. CT scans of individual body regions were also performed more frequently by the adult team. However, no significant differences were found in injury severity or length of hospital stay between the groups. The number of injuries with delayed diagnosis was similar, and no cases were identified in which an injury went undetected because a CT scan had not been performed.
The researchers point out that unnecessary imaging may increase radiation risk, particularly in children and adolescents, in addition to increasing costs and placing greater strain on the healthcare system. At the same time, insufficient use of diagnostic imaging may lead to delayed identification of serious injuries.
The findings therefore suggest that differing approaches to treating adolescents—depending on whether they are managed by pediatric or adult trauma teams—may influence the extent to which imaging is used, without appearing to affect patients’ clinical outcomes.
These findings show us that more is not always better when it comes to the use of radiation-based imaging in children and young people. The diagnostic workup should be guided by the condition of each individual patient, and in many cases unnecessary investigations can be avoided without compromising patient safety,” says Bergþór Steinn Jónsson, emergency physician and pediatric emergency physician at SAk.
The study can be read here: Comparison of Diagnostic Imaging Patterns Between Pediatric- and Adult-Trained Physicians in Adolescent Trauma Activations.