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9 The Management of Patients Admitted with Head Injuries at Gozo General Hospital


 
 
 This audit reviewed management practice of patients admitted to Gozo General Hospital with a head injury, to see whether guidelines are being followed.
 
 
 
 All patients admitted to GGH with a head injury over a twelve-month period (December 2019 – November 2020) were retrospectively reviewed. We used National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance 176 as the standard to compare to.
 
 
 
 61 patients, with a mean age 33 years, that were admitted to hospital were included. CT head was performed on 36 (59%) patients.
 According to NICE guidelines, CT head was warranted in these patients:
 24 (39%) patients had a CT scan which may not have been indicated according to NICE guidelines.
 Out of the 61 patients admitted to hospital, admission was warranted in the following:
 49 (80%) of admitted patients may have not needed admission.
 
 
 
 This retrospective review suggests that a significant number of patients are being unnecessarily admitted to Gozo General Hospital following a head injury and a significant number are having an unnecessary CT head. The local issues causing this need to be identified and methods need to be introduced to better follow recommended guidelines.
