title: The Effectiveness of Clinician Education on the Adequate Completion of Laboratory Test Request Forms at a Tertiary Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inadequately completed laboratory test request forms contribute to preanalytical errors and limit the advice of pathologists when interpreting laboratory test results. Educating clinicians about this has been proposed by several studies as a strategy to reduce the occurrence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the effectiveness of such education on the prevalence of adequately completed laboratory test request forms.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a quasi-experimental study conducted at the chemical pathology laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Incoming laboratory request forms were audited for a period of 1 month looking out for eight data variables. Subsequently, intensive clinician education was undertaken via seminars, publications, and orientation programs on 670 clinicians for 6 weeks duration. After that, a repeat audit for the same data variables was conducted for another period of 1 month. A Z-test of significance for the comparison of independent proportions was conducted for form errors pre- and post-intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Error rates for missing variables pre- and post-clinician education were: Name pre = 0 (0%), post = 0 (0%); age pre = 330 (21.6%), post = 28 (1.9%), P < 0.001; gender pre = 64 (4.2%), post = 53 (3.6%), P = 0.37; hospital number pre = 848 (55.6%), post = 524 (35.3%), P < 0.001; clinician name pre = 165 (10.8%), post = 64 (4.3%), P < 0.001; ward/clinic pre = 311 (20.4%), post = 235 (15.8%), P < 0.01; clinical diagnosis pre = 220 (14.4%), post = 33 (2.2%), P < 0.001; specimen type pre = 169 (11.1%), post = 116 (7.8%), P < 0.01, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was an improvement in the inadequate completion of laboratory request forms after clinicians were educated on proper completion using various interactive media, showing that it is an effective strategy. However, further studies are required to identify which educational strategy is most effective in reducing error rates in laboratory test request forms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Osegbe
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Afolabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Onyenekwu
keywords: Clinician education; Laboratory audit; Laboratory quality; Laboratory test request forms; Preanalytical errors