Ready! Fire! . . . Aim! An inquiry into laboratory test ordering
E. T. Wong and T. L. Lincoln
Informal test-ordering protocols that do not follow a physiological
rationale are common in teaching hospitals and represent part of the
folklore of resident practice. Such faulty test-ordering routines increase
the cost of care, waste resources, may fail to answer diagnostic questions,
or may generate false leads. They prove to be part of a broader set of
issues in information management not restricted to medicine. Clinically
appropriate algorithms for diagnostic testing can be constructed to replace
folkloric protocols. This should represent a major area of professional
concern in clinical pathology.
