Abstract


 Unnecessary lab testing may lead to inaccurate diagnoses, inappropriate treatment or further testing, and increased strain on our health care system, and can expose patients to potential harm.
 To identify lab tests that could be considered by Choosing Wisely Canada’s Using Labs Wisely program, we convened a panel of experts that included physicians, medical laboratory professionals, patients, and decision-makers from across Canada. Our objective was to prioritize a list of high-volume laboratory tests that are often ordered unnecessarily in hospital settings.
 Through a consensus-generating process, the expert panel prioritized 7 lab tests as candidates for reduction or elimination in hospital settings. These were 25-hydroxy vitamin D testing, vitamin B12 testing, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) testing, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) testing, international normalized ratio (INR) testing, and amylase testing.

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