Improving serum calcium test ordering according to a decision algorithm.

AIM: To detect differences in the pattern of serum calcium tests ordering before and after the implementation of a decision algorithm. METHODS: We studied patients admitted to an internal medicine ward of a university hospital on April 2013 and April 2016. Patients were classified as critical or non-critical on the day when each test was performed. Adequacy of ordering was defined according to adherence to a decision algorithm implemented in 2014. RESULTS: Total and ionised calcium tests per patient-day of hospitalisation significantly decreased after the algorithm implementation; and duplication of tests (total and ionised calcium measured in the same blood sample) was reduced by 49%. Overall adequacy of ionised calcium determinations increased by 23% (P=0.0001) due to the increase in the adequacy of ionised calcium ordering in non-critical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: A decision algorithm can be a useful educational tool to improve adequacy of the process of ordering serum calcium tests.

Fase preanalítica: punto crítico en las pruebas de diagnóstico hematológico / Preanalytic phase: a critical point in hematological diagnosis tests

Resumen: la fase preanalítica es un componente importante de los procesos operacionales realizados en los laboratorios clínicos, en la que se desarrollan diversos procedimientos que pueden afectar el resultado de un examen de sangre, tejidos o fluidos corporales de un paciente. Esta fase va desde la orden médica hasta el inicio del procesamiento de la muestra (fase analítica). Específicamente, en el diagnóstico hematológico los exámenes de laboratorio son la principal fuente de información para la toma de decisiones médicas relacionadas con el tratamiento y el seguimiento de los pacientes; por tal razón, el control de todos los aspectos involucrados en la fase preanalítica debe ser una prioridad en todos los laboratorios clínicos. En esta revisión se presentan los principales aspectos preanalíticos de las pruebas más comunes en el diagnóstico hematológico, correspondientes a las áreas de coagulación básica y especializada, hematología general y especializada, citometría de flujo, citogenética, biología molecular, entre otras de interés.

Abstract: the preanalytic phase is an important component of operational processes performed in clinical laboratories, which includes various processes that can affect the outcome of a patient’s blood, tissue and fluid examination, ranging from the medical order until the beginning of the processing of the sample (analytical phase). Specifically, laboratory tests are the main source of information in haematological diagnosis for medical decisions related to the treatment and follow-up of patients. For this reason, control of all aspects involved in the preanalytic phase should be a priority in all clinical laboratories. In this review, we present the main preanalytical aspects of the most common tests in the hematological diagnosis, corresponding to the areas of basic and specialized coagulation, general and specialized hematology, flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and molecular biology, among others of interest.