Inappropriate repeat testing of complete blood count (CBC) and electrolyte panels in inpatients from Alberta, Canada
| Autor: | Cheryl K. Lau, Irene Ma, Maggie Guo, Vijay Kandalam, Christopher Naugler |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
030213 general clinical medicine
medicine.medical_specialty Repeat testing Clinical Biochemistry Population 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology Alberta Electrolytes 03 medical and health sciences Patient safety 0302 clinical medicine parasitic diseases Humans Medicine education Utilization management education.field_of_study medicine.diagnostic_test Diagnostic Tests Routine business.industry Complete blood count Alberta canada General Medicine Blood Cell Count 3. Good health Test (assessment) Emergency medicine business Test panel |
| Zdroj: | Clinical Biochemistry. 77:32-35 |
| ISSN: | 0009-9120 |
| Popis: | Introduction The avoidance of repeat chemistry testing such as Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Electrolyte Panel (EP) on clinically stable patients was identified as important utilization goals by Choosing Wisely Canada. The purpose of this study was to assess the volume of overutilization of CBC and EP in an inpatient setting in Alberta, Canada, and provide an estimated cost assessment of unnecessary testing. Methods The total laboratory testing volumes of two common test panels were collected retrospectively for one-year from January to December 2018. Data was collected on test panels performed in an emergency room (ER) and inpatient setting from three separate Laboratory Information Systems covering the provincial population in Alberta, Canada. Total initial test panel instances, total repeated panels, repeated panels that were previously normal or abnormal, and estimated costs were examined. Cost assessment was completed based on Reference Median Cost (RMC) analysis for each of these two common test panels. Results During the study period, 2,020,467 (CBC) and 1,455,983 (EP) initial test panel instances were recorded, of which 67.7% and 73.5% were repeated for the CBC and EP, respectively. There was a higher proportion of EP repeated inappropriately (previously normal; 35.6%) compared to CBCs (5.4%). The cost to the province for inappropriately repeating CBC and EP were estimated to be RMC $0.52 million and RMC $1.90 million CAD, respectively. Conclusion Results from this study can assist policy makers in implementing utilization management initiatives and update clinical practice guidelines to reduce costs to healthcare without compromising patient care. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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