The role of expert systems in improving the test requesting patterns of clinicians.

The many strategies proposed for influencing the test requesting patterns of clinicians have had only limited success, largely because they are labour intensive and depend on motivation and commitment. Clinical protocols which have been locally agreed between laboratory staff and clinicians are potentially one of the more successful strategies, but detailed study of their application in different clinical settings has been limited by practical problems. Expert systems offer a way of implementing locally agreed protocols and, consequently, of assisting the identification, audit and refinement of laboratory testing strategies. Where these systems have been applied in specialist units they have resulted in savings in time by both clinical and laboratory staff, and an overall reduction in the number of clinical chemistry tests done within and out of hours. These systems offer promise as a method of improving laboratory utilization.