ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2018
Temporal trends in use of tests in UK primary care, 2000-15: retrospective analysis of 250 million tests.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 74 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cost-Effectiveness of Routine Monitoring of Long-Term Conditions in Primary Care: Informing Decision Modelling with a Systematic Review in Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2024Pooled it
- Strategies to reduce the use of low-value medical tests in primary care: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020Pooled it
- Accuracy of Smartphone Camera Applications for Detecting Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of X-ray-based diagnosis and explanation of knee osteoarthritis on patient beliefs about osteoarthritis management: A randomised clinical trial.PLoS medicine · 2025Trial
- Clinical decision support improves the appropriateness of laboratory test ordering in primary care without increasing diagnostic error: the ELMO cluster randomized trial.Implementation science : IS · 2020Trial
- Role of hormone testing in assessment of infertility.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2026Article
- Evidence-based blood tests for monitoring adults with hypertension in primary care: rapid review, routine data analyses, and consensus study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Review
- Laboratory and Medicine 2.1: Care for What You Wish for.International journal of laboratory hematology · 2026Review
- Methods for incorporating test result information within the high-dimensional propensity score framework: application in UK electronic health record data.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- Consultant GP-led team-based continuity: a vision for sustainable primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Temporal trends in progression risk in smoldering myeloma: a systematic review.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Impact of the MHRA safety update on vitamin BBMC primary care · 2025Article
- Quantifying the versatility of routinely measured prognostic factors.Diagnostic and prognostic research · 2025Article
- Promoting Nordic 'Green Care Practices'.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Prostate specific antigen retesting intervals and trends in England: population based cohort study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Article
- Observational
- Cardiometabolic risk factors in the Swedish Werlabs cohort based on self-initiated health screening: cohort profile.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Mind the Gaps: Literature Survey Reveals Shortcomings in Handling Missing Data in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a UK Primary Care Health Records Database.Clinical epidemiology · 2025Article
- Narrative and numbers.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Utilisation and trends of laboratory testing and point-of-care testing in primary care in Germany: an analysis of claims data.BMJ open · 2024Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo assess the temporal change in test use in UK primary care and to identify tests with the greatest increase in use.
designRetrospective cohort study.
settingUK primary care.
participantsAll patients registered to UK General Practices in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, 2000/1 to 2015/16.
main outcome measuresTemporal trends in test use, and crude and age and sex standardised rates of total test use and of 44 specific tests.
results262 974 099 tests were analysed over 71 436 331 person years. Age and sex adjusted use increased by 8.5% annually (95% confidence interval 7.6% to 9.4%); from 14 869 tests per 10 000 person years in 2000/1 to 49 267 in 2015/16, a 3.3-fold increase. Patients in 2015/16 had on average five tests per year, compared with 1.5 in 2000/1. Test use also increased statistically significantly across all age groups, in both sexes, across all test types (laboratory, imaging, and miscellaneous), and 40 of the 44 tests that were studied specifically.
conclusionTotal test use has increased markedly over time, in both sexes, and across all age groups, test types (laboratory, imaging, and miscellaneous) and for 40 of 44 tests specifically studied. Of the patients who underwent at least one test annually, the proportion who had more than one test increased significantly over time.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.