Establishing the Reportable Interval for Routine Clinical Laboratory Tests: A Data-Driven Strategy Leveraging Retrospective Electronic Medical Record Data

Abstract

Abstract Background This paper presents a data-driven strategy for establishing the reportable interval in clinical laboratory testing. The reportable interval defines the range of laboratory result values beyond which reporting should be withheld. The lack of clear guidelines and methodology for determining the reportable interval has led to potential errors in reporting and patient risk. Methods To address this gap, the study developed an integrated strategy that combines statistical analysis, expert review, and hypothetical outlier calculations. A large data set from an accredited clinical laboratory was utilized, analyzing over 124 million laboratory test records from 916 distinct tests. The Dixon test was applied to identify outliers and establish the highest and lowest non-outlier result values for each test, which were validated by clinical pathology experts. The methodology also included matching the reportable intervals with relevant Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) and Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM)-valid units for broader applicability. Results Upon establishing the reportable interval for 135 routine laboratory tests (493 LOINC codes), we applied these to a primary care laboratory data set of 23 million records, demonstrating their efficacy with over 1% of result records identified as implausible. Conclusions We developed and tested a data-driven strategy for establishing reportable intervals utilizing large electronic medical record (EMR) data sets. Implementing the established interval in clinical laboratory settings can improve autoverification systems, enhance data reliability, and reduce errors in patient care. Ongoing refinement and reporting of cases exceeding the reportable limits will contribute to continuous improvement in laboratory result management and patient safety.