title: Best practice in primary care pathology: review 8.
abstract: This eighth best practice review examines four series of common primary care questions in laboratory medicine: (i) sodium abnormalities; (ii) faecal occult blood testing; (iii) warfarin management; and (iv) sputum cytology in diagnosis of bronchopulmonary malignancy. The review is presented in question-answer format, referenced for each question series. The recommendations represent a précis of guidance found using a standardised literature search of national and international guidance notes, consensus statements, health policy documents and evidence-based medicine reviews, supplemented by Medline Embase searches to identify relevant primary research documents. They are not standards but form a guide to be set in the clinical context. Most are consensus rather than evidence-based. They will be updated periodically to take account of new information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Bishop Auckland, UK. info@smellie.com
authors.forename: W S A
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Smellie
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hampton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bowley
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bowlees
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Heyningen
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D006955:Hypernatremia / Q000175:diagnosis; D007010:Hyponatremia / Q000175:diagnosis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D009780:Occult Blood; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D012964:Sodium