Objective: Quality improvement of laboratory diagnostics by general practitioners (GPs) through introduction of a simplified, problem-oriented application form, supported by information and feedback.
Design: Prospective descriptive study.
Setting: Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology of St. Maartens Gasthuis, Venlo, the Netherlands and the GPs in the region.
Methods: The effects of the intervention were measured by counting the analyses requested by all GPs in the region in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Furthermore requests by every GP for fifteen selected analyses in the first 6 months of 1992, 1993 and 1994 were counted and reported together with the anonymous data of all colleagues.
Results: After the intervention a 23% reduction of the total number of analyses request by GPs was noticed. Blood sampling increased by 8% and the mean number of laboratory test requests per patient decreased from 5.9 to 4.2. The largest request reductions were noticed for analyses not listed on the application form. Measurements in the first 6 months of 1992, 1993 and 1994 showed continuation of the trend and a fadeaway of 'redundant' analyses.
Conclusion: The introduction of a simplified problem-oriented application form for GPs supported by feedback caused a marked decrease of the number of (redundant) laboratory requests.