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“Send & hold” clinical decision support rules improvement to reduce unnecessary testing of vitamins A, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6 and C

  • Enrique Rodriguez-Borja EMAIL logo , Africa Corchon-Peyrallo , Esther Barba-Serrano , Celia Villalba Martínez and Arturo Carratala Calvo
Published/Copyright: February 3, 2018

Abstract

Background:

We assessed the impact of several “send & hold” clinical decision support rules (CDSRs) within the electronical request system for vitamins A, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6 and C for all outpatients at a large health department.

Methods:

When ordered through electronical request, providers (except for all our primary care physicians who worked as a non-intervention control group) were always asked to answer several compulsory questions regarding main indication, symptomatology, suspected diagnosis, vitamin active treatments, etc., for each vitamin test using a drop-down list format. After samples arrival, tests were later put on hold internally by our laboratory information system (LIS) until review for their appropriateness was made by two staff pathologists according to the provided answers and LIS records (i.e. “send & hold”). The number of tests for each analyte was compared between the 10-month period before and after CDSRs implementation in both groups.

Results:

After implementation, vitamins test volumes decreased by 40% for vitamin A, 29% for vitamin E, 42% for vitamin K, 37% for vitamin B1, 85% for vitamin B2, 68% for vitamin B3, 65% for vitamin B6 and 59% for vitamin C (all p values 0.03 or lower except for vitamin B3), whereas in control group, the majority increased or remained stable. In patients with rejected vitamins, no new requests and/or adverse clinical outcome comments due to this fact were identified.

Conclusions:

“Send & hold” CDSRs are a promising informatics tool that can support in utilization management and enhance the pathologist’s leadership role as tests specialist.


Corresponding author: Enrique Rodriguez-Borja, PhD, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Valencia University Clinic Hospital, Avenida Blasco Ibañez 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain, Phone: 0034 961973500

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2017-11-8
Accepted: 2017-12-28
Published Online: 2018-2-3
Published in Print: 2018-6-27

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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