Unfortunately, physicians face an enormous pile of tests to choose from, which results in ordering too many tests and the possibility of delayed or wrong diagnosis. 3įor health care organizations to deliver optimum patient care, laboratory procedures should be precise and cost-effective, starting from the test selection criteria provided in the laboratory handbook. 1 On the contrary, a recent publication documented that the effect of diagnostic analysis on a healthcare financial statement is lesser than 2.5%, though its cost-effectiveness is over 100%, a net income margin more than 7-times greater than whatever another human business. 2 Pathology and laboratory costs were reported to increase by 20–25% each year, 2 and the return on investment of these costs is lower compared to past years. 1 For instance, healthcare industry costs in the USA were reported to be around $2.5 trillion per year, and laboratory testing expenditures constitute 4% of these costs (around $60 billion). Providing high-quality care while minimizing expenditures is essential for healthcare organizations. Keywords: improper laboratory test utilization, laboratory supervisors, physicians (clinicians), surveys, Qatar, descriptive study This could be achieved by conducting legitimate educational methodologies, continuous feedback reviews, ongoing audits, executing health information technology instruments, engaging laboratory practice guidelines, and applying demand management and testing algorithms. The improvement strategy should focus on the communication between clinical labs and physicians and enhance physician implementation to order appropriate lab tests. Finally, 67.4% were unaware of the tests’ costs among surveyed physicians, and 63.6% showed a willingness to reduce their orders if the cost was high and unnecessary.Ĭonclusion: The physician’s and the laboratories’ communication were inadequate and not systematized, causing ITU practices. Furthermore, 95.5%% of the physicians preferred to get feedback about inappropriate tests, while 51.1% were not receiving any, and 40.9% were rarely receiving. Moreover, 78.7% of the physicians used the clinical guidelines, while 73% were not employing the laboratory handbook. Among the physicians, 91% used the electronic ordering template to select the appropriate tests. Results: The overall proportion of improperly utilized tests detected by the laboratory supervisors were 50.0%, 35.7%, and 14.3% for overused, misused, and underused lab tests, respectively. The overall results are descriptive data. Fourteen laboratory supervisors and eighty-nine physicians were surveyed about improper test utilization practices. Methods: A cross sectional study based on two different surveys was developed and distributed from March 2017 to April 2017 to laboratory supervisors and physicians (clinicians) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar. Purpose: The present small-scale survey aims to highlight the current practice of ITU among the labs and physicians, and investigate the actions of diagnostic laboratories towards ITU, and identify the reasons affecting test ordering decisions among physicians. Improper test utilization (ITU) is a common problem for all healthcare systems as it costs substantial expenses for the health systems and impacts optimal patient care. Hafsa Mohammed Alshekhabobakr, 1 Salim O AlSaqatri, 2 Nasser Moustafa Rizk 1, 3ġBiomedical Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar 2Community College of Qatar, Doha, Qatar 3Biomedical Research Center (BRC), Qatar University, Doha, QatarĬorrespondence: Nasser Moustafa Rizk, Biomedical Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar, Email īackground: The use of diagnostic laboratory tests is increasing worldwide.
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