Evidence based practice: clinicians' use and attitudes to near patient testing in hospitals.

AIM

To survey the use made of laboratory services for urgent tests and clinicians' attitudes to near patient testing.

METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to clinicians working in acute hospitals within Trent and North West Thames Regions.

RESULTS

197 replies were received. Most demand came from intensive care units. Overall, clinicians requested a median of six urgent tests a day. Blood glucose and dip stick urine testing were the most commonly performed bedside tests, but 41% of clinicians did not use ward testing. The most frequently cited indication for bedside testing was the need for speed. 85% of clinicians trusted results obtained in their central hospital laboratory, but there was an almost equal division between those who did (34%) and those who did not (38%) trust the results from near patient testing. A slightly larger proportion indicated they would accept responsibility (44%) for results obtained on the ward than would not (35%). Most staff indicated that better transport to the laboratory would remove the need for near patient testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians have demonstrated an apparent need for rapid response testing but there is a strong preference for rapid transport systems and central laboratory analysis rather than bedside testing as a solution to this problem. There is a need to investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of near patient testing as a solution to rapid response testing.