title: Clinical responsiveness to laboratory results.
abstract: Digoxin prescriptions written by physicians after obtaining digoxin assay results were reviewed for 100 patients in order to study aspects of experts' interpretation of test results; also 77 pathologists' interpretations of serum digoxin assay results and glucose tolerance curves were studied. There was agreement on the interpretation of only some extreme test result values. Borderline values evoked a mixture of opinions. Responsiveness to result values was measured in terms of the extent of agreement among interpreters and was found to depend on the amount of deviation of the result value from referent values. This is consistent with the idea that the attention given to tests varies with the result value according to its perceived contribution toward reducing clinical error rates. Thus, there is no requirement for unusual analytic precision near referent values, as clinicians respond to results with more skill than anticipated.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003657:Decision Making; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D004077:Digoxin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004077:Digoxin