Decoding laboratory test names: a major challenge to appropriate patient care

Area of Science:

• Clinical Pathology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Accurate clinical laboratory testing is essential for patient diagnosis and treatment.
• Current laboratory test ordering systems, including computerized physician order entry (CPOE), present significant challenges due to complex nomenclature and abbreviations.
• These ordering difficulties can impede clinicians' ability to provide timely and effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the impact of complex laboratory test nomenclature on clinical workflows.
• To evaluate the limitations of existing CPOE systems in facilitating accurate lab test ordering.
• To propose solutions for improving the efficiency and accuracy of laboratory test ordering.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of laboratory test ordering processes and nomenclature.
• Review of existing CPOE system functionalities and limitations.
• Assessment of the impact of naming conventions on test selection.

Main Results:

• Excessively complex and similar laboratory test names frequently derail the ordering process.
• Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, often programmed by non-clinicians, introduce practical problems that hinder physicians.
• Existing nomenclature and abbreviations create confusion, increasing the risk of ordering errors.

Conclusions:

• Current laboratory test nomenclature and ordering systems actively interfere with physician efforts to provide quality care.
• Innovative software solutions with intelligent, real-time, clinically driven search functions are needed to improve CPOE systems.
• Enhancing laboratory test ordering systems is critical for efficient and efficacious patient care initiatives.