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Ready! Fire! . . . Aim! An inquiry into laboratory test ordering.

E T Wong·T L Lincoln
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Abstract

Informal test-ordering protocols that do not follow a physiological rationale are common in teaching hospitals and represent part of the folklore of resident practice. Such faulty test-ordering routines increase the cost of care, waste resources, may fail to answer diagnostic questions, or may generate false leads. They prove to be part of a broader set of issues in information management not restricted to medicine. Clinically appropriate algorithms for diagnostic testing can be constructed to replace folkloric protocols. This should represent a major area of professional concern in clinical pathology.

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BibTeXRIS

E T Wong, T L Lincoln. 1983-11-11. Ready! Fire! . . . Aim! An inquiry into laboratory test ordering.. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.250.18.2510

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