COMBINED REPORTS ON SERUM-CALCIUM AND DISCRIMINANT FUNCTIONS INCREASETHE DIAGNOSTIC RATE OF HYPERCALCEMIA

Hypercalcaemia is a condition easily overlooked by the clinician. Prom pted by the observation that computerized reminders could increase the awareness, we have examined whether the combined reporting of increas ed serum calcium results and the results from diagnostic discriminatin g calculations could increase the clinical awareness of hypercalcaemia . Albumin-corrected serum calcium was estimated in all 4500 patients a dmitted to the hospital during a period of 2 months. Eighty-seven pati ents were found with hypercalcaemia and were assigned randomly to 2 gr oups: A (40 patients) and B (47 patients). In group A, the increased s erum calcium and the results of the discriminant functions were report ed; in group B, the serum calcium was reported only if requested and t he discrimination diagnosis withheld. The clinical records were examin ed 3 weeks after admission. At this time the records in group A contai ned a relevant clinical diagnosis explaining the hypercalcaemia in 81% of the cases. This was in contrast to only 31% of the records in grou p B. We conclude that this combined reporting leads to a considerable improvement in the clinical awareness of hypercalcaemia and results in a diagnosis explaining the condition in the majority of cases.