Elderly patients near end of life being needlessly given distressing and risky scans, study reveals By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Published: 00:09, 23 August 2024 | Updated: 00:14, 23 August 2024 e-mail View comments Elderly patients nearing the end of their life are needlessly being given distressing and risky diagnostic scans, a study suggests. Researchers say the wasteful checks also increase costs for the NHS , extend hospital stays and delay access to scanners for people with many more years to live. The findings reflect an increasing national trend for medicalisation and poor recognition of dying, the experts add, with many doctors ordering scans for fear of being sued, rather than on the basis of clinical need.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) of hospital admissions in England between September 2021 and 2022 were for patients aged 75 and over, and more than a third (35 per cent) were in their last year of life. Elderly patients nearing the end of their life are being given needlessly distressing tests and scans (stock image) There is little evidence to support the benefits of these investigations in this group of patients, according to study leader Dr Joseph Hawkins (stock image) Total imaging activity has increased in England since 2013, with 44million radiological procedures carried out in 2021/22, of which around one in five were for patients aged 75 or older. However, there is little evidence to support the benefits of these investigations in this group of patien.