Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37305818›Full record

ArticleJournal of medicine and life2023

Clinical chemistry laboratory test overuse in a cardiology clinic: a single-center study.

Abeer Alshwareb, Mostafa Rashed, Faraz Farooqi, Ibrahim Alhabib, Neethu Betty Theruvan, Omar El-Masry

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medicine and life, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Abeer AlshwarebDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Mostafa RashedDepartment of Cardiac Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Faraz FarooqiCollege of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim AlhabibDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Neethu Betty TheruvanDepartment of Cardiac Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Omar El-MasryDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University · SA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Diagnostic laboratory tests are frequently overused in healthcare entities, leading to an increased strain on laboratory resources, additional workload, and wastage of resources. Continuous monitoring of test ordering behavior is crucial to evaluate clinical necessity. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the necessity of ordering clinical chemistry tests in the cardiology clinic of a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia. We retrieved medical records of patients diagnosed with cardiovascular problems admitted at the cardiology clinic in 2020. The frequency and percentages of the ordered tests were calculated upon admission and follow-up, and the difference between necessary and unnecessary tests was compared for each category. Test ordering assessment included cardiac, renal, and liver functions, blood gases, thyroid and diabetic profile, iron indices, hormones, water and electrolytes, and inflammatory markers. The results showed a large number of clinical chemistry tests ordered without clinical necessity. While the number of necessary tests was significantly higher than that of unnecessary tests, 21% of the tests ordered between June-December 2021 at the center were unnecessary. Further studies are necessary to identify driving factors and develop strategies to reduce the overutilization of diagnostic laboratory tests in clinical practice. Eliminating this phenomenon will reduce the risk of unnecessary medical interventions and associated costs, improve patient outcomes, and reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system.

Indexed as

CardiologyChemistry, ClinicalClinical Chemistry TestsCross-Sectional StudiesHealth FacilitiesHumansclinical chemistryclinical laboratory overuseclinical necessitytest ordering

Identifiers

PMID37305818
PMCPMC10251380
OpenAlexW4380290755

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.