An audit of investigational services within general medical units

Over a period of a year data was collected on the utilisation of investigational services by three general medical units. The pattern of practice was found to be very similar between the units. The average calculated daily test cost per patient ranged from +12-23 and the average dialy number of tests per patient was less than two. The services contributing most to costs were the relatively cheap but frequently-performed laboratory and radiological investigations. The implications of these findings in relation to hospital costs and to the education of medical staff is discussed.