Abstract
Background: The objectives of this article were 1) to identify current trends in critical values practices in North America, Europe, and other regions; 2) to describe progress toward harmonization of critical limits; and 3) to synthesize strategies that will encourage global consensus. Critical limits are described in national surveys. Critical value practices are guided by federal statutes, The Joint Commission regulations, and accreditation requirements in the US; by provincial healthcare agencies in Canada; by thought leaders and ISO EN 15189:2007 in Europe; and in SE Asia, mostly by ad hoc policies lacking statutory grip.
Methods: Review of databases, literature, websites, federal statutes, litigation, official policies, current affairs, and accreditation agency requirements.
Results and conclusions: Practical strategies will accelerate harmonization of critical values practices, as follows: a) continue national and international survey comparisons; b) clarify age, ethnic, and subject dependencies; c) standardize qualitative and quantitative decision levels for urgent clinician notification; d) monitor compliance and timeliness for safety; and e) alert high frequencies of critical values related to adverse events. New expectations and communication technologies present opportunities for enhanced performance using wireless closed-loop reporting with recipient acknowledgment to reduce phone calls and improve efficiency. Hospitals worldwide can benefit from developing consensus for critical values practices.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Hepcidin: the main regulator of iron homeostasis
- Reviews
- Global trends in critical values practices and their harmonization
- Ischemia modified albumin changes – review and clinical implications
- Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
- Decreased serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with post-stroke depression but not with BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism
- A novel liquidchip platform for simultaneous detection of 70 alleles of DNA somatic mutations on EGFR, KRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded slides containing tumor tissue
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Mass spectrometry measurement of plasma hepcidin for the prediction of iron overload
- Serum hepcidin-25 in comparison to biochemical markers and hematological indices for the differentiation of iron-restricted erythropoiesis
- The quality of the extra-analytical phase of laboratory practice in some developing European countries and Mexico – a multicentric study
- Impact of cryopreservation on serum concentration of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-7, TIMP-1, vascular growth factors (VEGF) and VEGF-R2 in Biobank samples
- Determinants of circulating asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginines in patients evaluated for acute dyspnea
- Urinary stone composition in pediatric patients: a retrospective study of 205 cases
- Electrolyte-balanced heparin in blood gas syringes can introduce a significant bias in the measurement of positively charged electrolytes
- Full-scan mass spectral evidence for 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in serum of infants and adults
- Association of nucleated red blood cells in blood and arterial oxygen partial tension
- Validation and Outcome Studies
- Cystatin C is a reliable marker for estimation of glomerular filtration rate in renal transplantation: validation of a new turbidimetric assay using monospecific sheep antibodies
- Analytical validation of the Liaison Calcitonin_II-Gen (DiaSorin)
- A new tool in the field of in-vitro diagnosis of allergy: preliminary results in the comparison of ImmunoCAP© 250 with the ImmunoCAP© ISAC
- Rapid microwave digestion and microplate reading format method for urinary iodine determination
- Reference Values and Biological Variations
- Serum creatinine concentrations in male and female elite swimmers. Correlation with body mass index and evaluation of estimated glomerular filtration rate
- Biological variation of free β chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in first trimester pregnancies
- Non-infectious conditions and gestational age influence C-reactive protein values in newborns during the first 3 days of life
- Cancer Diagnostics
- Interpretation of increments in serial tumour biomarker concentrations depends on the distance of the baseline concentration from the cut-off
- Performance of nuclear matrix protein 22 urine marker and voided urine cytology in the detection of urinary bladder tumors
- High-performance metabolic marker assessment in breast cancer tissue by mass spectrometry
- BRAF analysis by fine needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules improves preoperative identification of papillary thyroid carcinoma and represents a prognostic factor. A mono-institutional experience
- Letters to the Editor
- Stat laboratory timeliness management according to clinician needs
- Stability of serum samples and hemolysis interference on the high sensitivity troponin T assay
- Falsely diminished results for insulin concentrations measured with the IMMULITE® 2000
- Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) determined in urine with the Abbott Architect or in plasma with the Biosite Triage? The laboratory's point of view