{
  "abstract": "Objectives The requirement for medical clearance prior to starting physical activity in children and adolescents is a common practice, although there is controversy regarding which elements should be included. The Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría recommends filling out a complete medical history, physical examination, and doing least one electrocardiogram in the post-pubertal stage. However, in daily consultation, additional studies are often requested which, when inappropriate, may become barriers to physical activity. This study aims to document practices requested as part of physical fitness clearance in our institution and determine what proportion of these is potentially inappropriate.Method A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample included children and adolescents enrolled in our hospital’s medical insurance during 2019 or 2022, with no prior diagnosis of cardiac disease and at least one cardiological assessment (examination or cardiology consultation) requested in the context of physical fitness clearance. A random sample was selected and medical records were reviewed using a structured guide to evaluate the types of requested or performed studies and their clinical justification.Results The study included 134 participants, of whom 122 (91%, 95% CI 86.2–95.8%) had at least one potentially inappropriate investigation. This proportion was higher in children under 13 years of age (98.5% vs 85.1%, p <0.01). The most frequently requested investigation was the electrocardiogram, followed by cardiology consultation.Conclusions The majority of studied individuals underwent at least one potentially inappropriate investigation. These findings are valuable for situational diagnosis and planning improvement interventions.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina"
      ],
      "name": "Sofia Abud Zientek"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina"
      ],
      "name": "Sebastian Sguiglia"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina"
      ],
      "name": "Carolina Carrara"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina"
      ],
      "name": "Diego Terceiro"
    }
  ],
  "title": "037 Overuse of cardiac diagnostic studies among pediatric patients in a private university hospital",
  "uid": "c9f35094-a4b5-58ec-9bde-a1920899693a"
}