General practitioners' assessment of interventions applied to optimize laboratory test utilization: a cross-sectional...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Practice
• Health Services Research
• Diagnostic Testing

Background:

• Optimizing the use of laboratory tests, such as Vitamin D, is crucial in primary care.
• General practitioners (GPs) require effective interventions to guide appropriate test ordering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions of various interventions aimed at optimizing Vitamin D test utilization.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and acceptance of guidelines, feedback reports, and IT system alerts.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among 638 GPs in Southern Denmark using the REDCap platform.
• Participants responded to customized questions regarding their experiences with different interventions over a one-year period.
• Response rate was 21% (131 GPs), with no significant demographic differences between responders and non-responders.

Main Results:

• Approximately 50% of GPs found guidelines helpful, and a similar proportion frequently reviewed feedback reports.
• Pop-up alerts were more accepted for rarely-used tests or for shorter durations (up to three months) for frequently used tests.
• Interruptive alerts were perceived as problematic when triggered for every Vitamin D test request.

Conclusions:

• While guidelines and feedback reports are generally accepted, their impact on biochemical test utilization may be limited.
• Pop-up alerts in IT systems can lead to alert fatigue; their duration should be carefully considered.
• Future interventions should integrate clinical information into feedback reports and limit the display period for frequent test alerts.