Key Points
Question
How does the prevalence of routine daily chest radiography in mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in the United States—a practice that is no longer recommended—vary across hospitals and over time?
Findings
In this cohort study of 512 518 patients receiving mechanical ventilation, 63% received a chest radiograph every day up to 7 days following mechanical ventilation initiation. The odds of receiving a daily chest radiograph were 2.43-fold higher if the same patient was discharged from a higher- vs lower-use hospital and, starting in the fourth quarter of 2011, there was a 3% relative reduction in the odds of daily use per quarter through 2014.
Meaning
Mechanically ventilated patients in US hospitals continue to receive chest radiographs daily at high rates even though guidelines recommend against this practice; use depends largely on the hospital at which the patient receives care rather than individual patient characteristics.