Utility of Repeat Testing of Critical Values
نویسندگان
چکیده
Context.—A common laboratory practice is to repeat critical values before reporting the test results to the clinical care provider. This may be an unnecessary step that delays the reporting of critical test results without adding value to the accuracy of the test result. Objectives.—To determine the proportions of repeated chemistry and hematology critical values that differ significantly from the original value as defined by the participating laboratory, to determine the threshold differences defined by the laboratory as clinically significant, and to determine the additional time required to analyze the repeat test. Design.—Participants prospectively reviewed critical test results for 4 laboratory tests: glucose, potassium, white blood cell count, and platelet count. Participants reported the following information: initial and repeated test result; time initial and repeat results were first known to laboratory staff; critical result notification time; if the repeat result was still a critical result; if the repeat result was significantly different from the initial result, as judged by the laboratory professional or policy; significant difference threshold, as defined by the laboratory; the make and model of the instrument used for primary and repeat testing. Results.—Routine, repeat analysis of critical values is a common practice. Most laboratories did not formally define a significant difference between repeat results. Repeated results were rarely considered significantly different. Median repeated times were at least 17 to 21 minutes for 10% of laboratories. Twenty percent of laboratories reported at least 1 incident in the last calendar year of delayed result reporting that clinicians indicated had adversely affected patient care. Conclusion.—Routine repeat analysis of automated chemistry and hematology critical values is unlikely to be clinically useful and may adversely affect patient care. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014;138:788–793; doi: 10.5858/ arpa.2013-0140-CP)
منابع مشابه
Necessity of Routine Repeat Testing of Critical Values in Various Working Shifts
Background & Objective: Accurate and timely reporting of critical values is an important issue. There is some doubt whether repeat testing of critical values would offer any advantage over single testing or not. The aim of this study was evaluation of utility of routine repeat testing of critical values in our referral center and to compare probable variations in different work...
متن کاملDoes routine repeat testing of critical laboratory values improve their accuracy?
Background: Routine repeat testing of critical laboratory values is very common these days to increase their accuracy and to avoid reporting false or infeasible results. We figure that repeat testing of critical laboratory values has any benefits or not. Methods : We examined 2233 repeated critical laboratory values in 13 different hematology and chemistry tests including: hemoglobin, white...
متن کاملUtility and Necessity of Repeat Testing of Critical Values in the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory
CONTEXT Routine repeat testing of critical values is a long-standing practice in many clinical laboratories; however, its usefulness and necessity remain to be empirically established and no regulatory requirements yet exist for verification of the critical value results obtained by repeat analysis. OBJECTIVE To determine whether repeat testing of critical values is useful and necessary in a ...
متن کاملTesting Exponentiality Based on Record Values
We introduce a goodness of fit test for exponentiality based on record values. The critical points and powers for some alternatives are obtained by simulation.
متن کاملDoes routine repeat testing of critical laboratory values improve their accuracy?
BACKGROUND Routine repeat testing of critical laboratory values is very common these days to increase their accuracy and to avoid reporting false or infeasible results. We figure that repeat testing of critical laboratory values has any benefits or not. METHODS We examined 2233 repeated critical laboratory values in 13 different hematology and chemistry tests including: hemoglobin, white bloo...
متن کامل