Does admission order form design really matter? A reduction in urea blood test ordering

Abstract

IntroductionLaboratory blood testing is one of the most high-volume medical procedures and continues to increase steadily with instances of inappropriate testing resulting in significant financial implications. Studies have suggested that the design of a standard hospital admission order form and laboratory request forms influence physician test ordering behaviour, reducing inappropriate ordering and promoting resource stewardship.Aim/methodTo redesign the standard medicine admission order form-laboratory request section to reduce inappropriate blood urea nitrogen (BUN) testing.ResultsA redesign of the standard admission order form used by general internal medicine physicians and residents in two large teaching hospitals in one health zone in Alberta, Canada led to a significant step reduction in the ordering of the BUN test on hospital admission.ConclusionsRedesigning the standard medicine admission order form-laboratory request section can have a beneficial effect on the reduction in BUN ordering altering physician ordering patterns and behaviour.