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Clinical chemistry laboratory test overuse in a cardiology clinic: a single-center study

Abeer Alshwareb1, Mostafa Rashed2, Faraz Farooqi3

  • 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Journal of Medicine and Life
|June 12, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Diagnostic laboratory tests are often overused, straining resources. A Saudi Arabian cardiology clinic study found 21% of clinical chemistry tests were unnecessary, highlighting a need for better test ordering practices.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Healthcare Management
  • Diagnostic Testing

Background:

  • Overutilization of diagnostic laboratory tests strains healthcare resources and increases costs.
  • Continuous monitoring of test ordering is essential for assessing clinical necessity.
  • Clinical chemistry tests are frequently ordered in cardiology settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the necessity of clinical chemistry test ordering in a tertiary care cardiology clinic in Saudi Arabia.
  • To quantify the proportion of unnecessary diagnostic tests performed.
  • To identify areas for improvement in laboratory test utilization.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study design.
  • Retrieved medical records of cardiovascular patients from 2020.
  • Calculated frequency and percentages of ordered tests (admission and follow-up).
  • Assessed necessity of tests including cardiac, renal, liver function, electrolytes, and more.

Main Results:

  • A significant number of clinical chemistry tests were ordered without clear clinical necessity.
  • Necessary tests outnumbered unnecessary tests.
  • 21% of tests ordered between June-December 2021 were deemed unnecessary.

Conclusions:

  • Overutilization of clinical chemistry tests is prevalent in cardiology clinics.
  • Reducing unnecessary tests can decrease medical interventions, costs, and healthcare burden.
  • Further research is needed to identify causes and develop strategies for optimizing test ordering.

Keywords:
clinical chemistryclinical laboratory overuseclinical necessitytest ordering

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