title: Provider-to-provider communication in dermatology and implications of missing clinical information in skin biopsy requisition forms: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various components of the skin biopsy requisition form (SBRF) may contribute to accurate dermatopathologic interpretation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search of electronic databases, including those of Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus, was conducted from inception to October 2011. Two authors independently screened all articles for eligibility. Inclusion criteria required material to represent original studies on skin biopsy and pathology requisition forms. Data abstracted from each article that met the inclusion criteria included details of the study characteristics, including the study location, type of pathology practice, specimen type, type of dermatoses, medical specialty of the requesting provider, suggested clinical components, and format of the SBRF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 32 titles and abstracts reviewed, seven articles were included. From these, we determined that dermatologists, general practitioners and surgeons completed SBRFs. Commonly included components were patient demographics and requesting clinician characteristics. Clinical information and differential diagnosis were provided in 4% (two of 48 surgeons) to 36% (18 of 50 dermatologists) of requisitions. Most SBRFs did not include information on specimen type, clinical morphology, photographs or clinical history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The limited medical literature demonstrates variation in the content of SBRFs across clinicians and practices, and suggests an important target for improvement in the quality of communication and dermatologic care by requesting clinicians and pathologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Nneka I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Comfere
authors.forename: Olayemi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sokumbi
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Montori
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Prokop
authors.forename: M Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Murad
authors.forename: Jon C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tilburt
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D003880:Dermatology; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D011996:Records; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology