LETTER

Are we still performing too many blood tests?

1 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow, Essex, UK
2 Douglas Macmillan Hospice, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Arun Krishnamurthy
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1QX, UK; arun.krishnamurthy@...

In June 2003, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced clinical guidelines on preoperative testing for patients undergoing elective surgery.1 It made recommendations on the use of the following investigations: chest x ray, ECG, full blood count, clotting profile, urea and electrolytes, random blood glucose, urine analysis, arterial blood gases and lung function tests. The recommendations were presented in the form of easy-to-use "look-up" tables, which used a colour-coded traffic light system to indicate tests that were recommended, to be considered and not recommended. NICE conducted a follow-up survey measuring the impact of this clinical guideline.2 The results indicated a good level of compliance, but most responders felt that there had been no change in the use of these tests. We audited our practice to see what impact the guidance had had.

We reviewed the preoperative investigations of 125 consecutive adult inpatients presenting for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. . . . [Full text of this article]