Duplicated laboratory tests: evaluation of a computerized alert intervention abstract.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Clinical Laboratory Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Redundant laboratory testing negatively impacts healthcare system efficiency.
• Duplicate testing, such as the Acute Hepatitis Profile (AHP), incurs unnecessary costs and resource utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized alert system in reducing duplicated AHP tests.
• To assess the impact of the alert on the number and cost of redundant AHP testing.
• To identify patient, test, and system factors associated with AHP test duplication.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was employed.
• A computerized alert intervention was implemented to notify clinicians of recent AHP test orders.
• Duplicate testing was defined as reordering within 15 days with existing results.

Main Results:

• The rate of duplicated AHP tests decreased significantly from 7.9% (pre-intervention) to 2.6% (post-intervention) (p<.001).
• The computerized alert intervention led to a statistically significant reduction in the costs associated with duplicated AHP tests (p≤.001).

Conclusions:

• Computerized alerts are effective in reducing duplicate laboratory testing, specifically the Acute Hepatitis Profile.
• Implementing such alerts can enhance healthcare system efficiency by minimizing unnecessary tests and associated expenditures.