RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A Review of Published Studies on the Value of Laboratory Medicine
JF American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
JO Clin Lab Sci
FD American Society of Chemistry and Laboratory Science
SP ascls.118.000729
DO 10.29074/ascls.118.000729
A1 Teresa Nadder
A1 Diane Davis
A1 Paramjit K Sandhu
A1 Denise Uettwiller-Geiger
A1 Steven Zibrat
YR 2018
UL http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/early/2018/09/04/ascls.118.000729.abstract
AB In the current healthcare climate, pressures for cost control are extreme. Every sector is required to justify activities and expenditures through demonstrated value to patient outcomes and/or the system as a whole. This review of recent literature, with particular attention to studies published in 2000-2017, was undertaken to reveal what is known about the value of laboratory medicine in terms of patient health outcomes; but limited evidence was available on this topic. Instead, laboratory value was described in more qualitative ways, organized around four themes: 1) providing test results, 2) test consultation, 3) financial value, and 4) knowledge development. This literature review outlines what is currently published with respect to medical laboratory value. This review suggests research opportunities to clarify the quantitative value of laboratory medicine to healthcare.