Reduction in the Number of Reported Laboratory Results for an Adult Intensive Care Unit by Effective Order Management and Parameter Selection on the Blood Gas Analyzers

Abstract: Within the Academic Medical Center, the Adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is one of the departments with the highest number of requests for laboratory analyses per patient per year. Most of the laboratory analyses for the ICU are performed with 1 of 3 blood gas analyzers at the ICU location under the responsibility of the Department of Clinical Chemistry. Until 2013, these were set to measure and report every available parameter. The majority of the centrally measured laboratory tests are requested according to medical protocols that dictate frequent laboratory analyses using a fixed panel of parameters available in the order management system. In a bid to reduce the number of redundant reported testing results arising from both the centrally performed analyses and the decentralized blood gas analyzers, we used 3 approaches, used in concert, to achieve a more purposeful utilization of those laboratory investigations. (1) Protocols for all ICU laboratory investigations were refined. (2) Six different presets were installed on the blood gas analyzers that, in an easy and convenient way, allowed to selectively measure only the required analytes. (3) Through an elaborate training program, the medical and nursing staff was stimulated to apply a standardized and effective way of order management and a selective usage of the blood gas analyzers. Taken together, these approaches have resulted in a marked reduction in the number of reported assay results (24% centralized, 36% ...
Source: Point of Care: The Journal of Near-Patient Testing and Technology - Category: Pathology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research