C. Gilio et al., THE INFLUENCE OF A DESK-TOP ANALYZER ON THE NUMBER OF LABORATORY TESTS USED IN DAILY GENERAL-PRACTICE - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, Family practice, 10(2), 1993, pp. 118-123
This study evaluated the influence of a desk-top analyser, used in gen
eral practice, on the mean number of blood tests per contact, prescrib
ed or analysed by general practitioners. A randomized controlled trial
was used. The mean number of blood tests per contact requested by two
groups of GPs, before and after the introduction of a Reflotron in th
e intervention group was compared. Practitioners were assigned to the
control group or to the intervention group by stratified randomization
. Flemish GPs, known by the Flemish Institute of General Practice as i
nterested in research were enrolled into the study. There were two reg
istration periods of 8 weeks each. The weekly number of doctor-patient
contacts and all requested or performed blood tests for each patient
were registered. During the second period the members of the intervent
ion group were asked to use the Reflotron, following their own judgeme
nt, and to register the total number of tests per contact, performed w
ith it, on a special form. In the Reflotron group there was a slight i
ncrease in the median of the relative differences between the interven
tion and the base-line period (3%). In the control group the median of
the relative differences decreased (-7%). The difference between both
groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.17). In both groups t
he size and direction of the relative differences of the individual pr
actices were very different. No statistically significant differences
were found in any of the subgroups.