title: Effect of a laboratory result pager on provider behavior in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Automated paging systems that inform providers about abnormal laboratory values may alter their behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively studied provider behavior before and after implementation of a laboratory paging system that utilizes a filtering mechanism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of laboratory results that were acted upon did not change significantly. However, providers were more likely to order repeat laboratory testing (p = 0.019)
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Provider behavior is altered in the presence of a laboratory paging system.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lipika
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Samal
authors.forename: Theodora A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Stavroudis
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Harold P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Christoph U
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods*; D008396:Maryland; D017010:Reminder Systems