ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Despite the widespread practice of pathologist review of blood and body fluid smears, little is known about its impact on improving patient care. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical usefulness of pathologist review of blood and body fluid smears. DESIGN: Survey study. Pathology residents contacted the ordering physician after pathologist reviews were reported to assess their clinical impact. RESULTS: Ninety-six pathologist reviews met criteria for study inclusion, and 64 ordering physicians were successfully contacted during the 2-month study period. Of the 64 cases, 19 reviews (30%) had been seen by the physician within 24 to 48 hours after the report was issued and 33 (51%) had not been seen; in 4 (6%) instances, physicians did not remember whether they had seen the review. Eight reviews (13%) were considered urgent enough to warrant immediate communication by the pathologist. Of the 27 reviews that were seen or directly communicated, 23 (85%) contributed to clinical diagnosis and/or patient management. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the contribution of pathologist reviews of blood and body fluids to clinical diagnosis and patient management. The results also highlight the problem of a lack of physician awareness of clinical pathology results.
