Are clinicians failing to supply adequate information when requesting a histopathological investigation?

AIMS There is a perception among histopathologists that specimens are often received without adequate clinical details. This is the first study to determine the adequacy of information provided when histopathological investigations are requested. METHODS Two thousand sequential requests for histological examination were assessed for adequacy and completeness. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the demographic details supplied by physicians and surgeons. Clinical details were inadequate in 6.1% of cases: those from physicians were significantly more often adequate (98.7% v 90.6%) and more often included a diagnosis (74.4% v 38.8%) than those from surgeons. Physicians were more likely to supply their name and contact number but requests frequently lacked details of the sender. CONCLUSIONS Specimens are infrequently received with inadequate demographic details, but clinical details and details of the sender are more often lacking. Education of clinical colleagues is required if pathologists are to manage the demand for the service.