Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a laboratory medici... - PubMed - NCBI

Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a laboratory medici... - PubMed - NCBI

Clin Biochem. 2012 Sep;45(13-14):979-87. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2012.06.023. Epub 2012 Jun 29.

Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a laboratory medicine best practices systematic review and meta-analysis.

Liebow EB1, Derzon JH, Fontanesi J, Favoretto AM, Baetz RA, Shaw C, Thompson P, Mass D, Christenson R, Epner P, Snyder SR.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To conduct a systematic review of the evidence available in support of automated notification methods and call centers and to acknowledge other considerations in making evidence-based recommendations for best practices in improving the timeliness and accuracy of critical value reporting.

DESIGN AND METHODS:

This review followed the Laboratory Medicine Best Practices (LMBP) review methods (Christenson, et al. 2011). A broad literature search and call for unpublished submissions returned 196 bibliographic records which were screened for eligibility. 41 studies were retrieved. Of these, 4 contained credible evidence for the timeliness and accuracy of automatic notification systems and 5 provided credible evidence for call centers for communicating critical value information in in-patient care settings.

RESULTS:

Studies reporting improvement from implementing automated notification findings report mean differences and were standardized using the standard difference in means (d=0.42; 95% CI=0.2-0.62) while studies reporting improvement from implementing call centers generally reported criterion referenced findings and were standardized using odds ratios (OR=22.1; 95% CI=17.1-28.6).

CONCLUSIONS:

The evidence, although suggestive, is not sufficient to make an LMBP recommendation for or against using automated notification systems as a best practice to improve the timeliness of critical value reporting in an in-patient care setting. Call centers, however, are effective in improving the timeliness of critical value reporting in an in-patient care setting, and meet LMBP criteria to be recommended as an "evidence-based best practice."

Copyright © 2012 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.

Comment in

• Critical results communication: still an open issue. [Clin Biochem. 2013]
• Critical result communication response to Piva and Plebani: best practices for communicating critical values. [Clin Biochem. 2013]

PMID:

 

22750773

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 

PMCID:

 

PMC4518392

 

Free PMC Article

..-..-..

full-text ►

National Guideline Clearinghouse | Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a Laboratory Medicine Best Practices systematic review and meta-analysis.



Laboratory Medicine Best Practices

Guideline Title

Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a Laboratory Medicine Best Practices systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bibliographic Source(s)

Liebow EB, Derzon JH, Fontanesi J, Favoretto AM, Baetz RA, Shaw C, Thompson P, Mass D, Christenson R, Epner P, Snyder SR. Effectiveness of automated notification and customer service call centers for timely and accurate reporting of critical values: a laboratory medicine best practices systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Biochem. 2012 Sep;45(13-14):979-87. [45 references] PubMed

Guideline Status

This is the current release of the guideline.

This guideline meets NGC's 2013 (revised) inclusion criteria.