Admission guidelines for head injuries: variance with clinical practice in accident and emergency units in the UK.

Guidelines for the initial management of head injuries were formulated by neurosurgeons and a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and administrators attending a seminar convened by the UK Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS). Analysis of data collected previously by the Royal College of Radiologists in nine accident and emergency units in the UK shows that admitting practice varied between centres and was very different from that recommended subsequently in the guidelines. Only 49 per cent (range 22 to 71 per cent) of patients who had skull X-rays and possessed symptoms and signs warranting admission were admitted to hospital and 14 per cent (range 1 to 20 per cent) of those without appropriate symptoms and signs were admitted. Rates of admission for patients with a history of unconsciousness, which according to the guidelines is not a criterion for admission, were up to ten-fold higher than for comparable patients with no such history. Implementation of the guidelines could have a substantial effect on clinical practice and could reduce admissions of patients who had skull X-rays by up to 46 per cent.