LOG-JAM IN ACID-BASE EDUCATION AND INVESTIGATION - WHY MAKE IT SO DIFFICULT

Medical students frequently have difficulty in interpreting acid-base data particularly when pH values are used, The difficulty persists whe n students qualify and has implications for the safe management of pat ients who require investigation of acid-base status. Simplification of tuition is required together with a change of practice in the reporti ng of acid-base data by the laboratories. To improve understanding, we recommend that the teaching and reporting of acid-base status should be changed to use [H+] instead of pH, and a greater emphasis placed on the logical interpretation of primary measurements--that is [H+] and PCO2--with less reliance on derived variables.