Documenting a Patient Safety Program to Eliminate Ionizing Radiation from the Diagnostic Evaluation of Acute Appendicitis in the Pediatric Population

We offer the following specific goals to be accomplished by 2015 (1) Collect for publication the specific clinical diagnostic pathway that utilizes ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging to provide an accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children while conferring no increased harm (2) Provide specific MRI protocols and education to radiologists and technicians regarding the use of Ultra-Fast MRI for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis as part of this publication (3) Catalog the number of CT scans performed in the workup of acute appendicitis and document how this protocol has changed practice at a single institution. (4) As part of this study, determine time to diagnosis, ED throughput, hospital and patient cost, outcomes, and patient experience as related to the protocol.