USE OF BLOOD-TESTS IN GENERAL-PRACTICE - A COLLABORATIVE STUDY IN 8 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Background. Laboratory tests are routine examinations in general pract ice and are associated with increasing costs in industrialized countri es. Aim. The objective of this collaborative study was to determine th e differences in general practitioners' use of blood tests in differen t European countries and to evaluate the relationship between these di fferences and organizational aspects of the health care system and als o characteristics of the participating general practices. Method. A de scriptive study was conducted by eight European sentinel networks. Vol untary participating general practitioners registered all blood tests requested for four weeks, specifying the type of test, and age group a nd sex of patients. Details of all face-to-face encounters with patien ts by age group and sex were collected for the same period. Informatio n on the participating practices and general practitioners was collect ed by questionnaire. Results. The request rate for blood tests varied considerably between countries. The characteristics of general practit ioners and practice were only slightly or were not associated with the use of blood tests while dummy 'country' variables were strongly asso ciated. The number of general practitioners per 1000 inhabitants was t he most positively associated variable partly explaining the intercoun try variation. Conclusion. This European study suggests that some nati onal characteristics of the health system could determine the use of b lood tests in general practice and underlines the need for further inv estigation in order to develop successful strategies for promoting the optimal use of diagnostic technology.