Customised Critical Limits Help to Achieve Efficient Use of the Laboratory’s Resources

Abstract

Background: Customisation of critical value policies in laboratories with increasing workloads helps to achieve efficient use of laboratory’s resources. Methods: The critical value policy at an academic hospital was customised with the introduction of a new middleware (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan). The number of notifications over a one-month period was reviewed in order to determine the impact of customisation on laboratory resources and patient safety. Results: 1891 haematology critical values were identified. 1195 (63%) results did not require notification according to the customised policy. Of these, 1034 (55%) had a previous critical result, 89 (5%) were not phoned as per customer request and in 72 (4%) the critical result was already viewed by the clinician. Conclusion: Customisation resulted in a marked reduction in the critical results requiring notification. Laboratory information system middleware can be developed to consider factors such as, a change in the current result from previous results, patient location and requesting doctor to customise notification.