Clinicians’ perspectives and practices on critical outcomes and their expectations from the laboratory

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate clinicians’ awareness, perspectives, and expectations regarding critical value reporting in laboratories through both a survey and retrospective data analysis. Methods Critical value data were retrospectively collected from the hospital information system between September 2021 and February 2022. A 17-item survey, comprising six demographic questions and 11 items related to critical values (eight closed-ended, two semi-open-ended, and one open-ended), was administered to clinicians at two tertiary hospitals using Google Forms. The survey was piloted on 10 clinicians for validation. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013 (Microsoft Corp., WA, USA) and SPSS version 25.0 (IBM Corp., NY, USA). Results Over the six-month period, a total of 4,899 critical values were reported, with platelets, hemoglobin, and glucose being the most frequently flagged parameters. The median critical value notification time was found to be 7 min. A total of 321 clinicians participated in the survey. Among them, 97.8 % considered critical value reporting essential; 44.6 % preferred notification via text message, while 10.8 % favored phone calls. Most respondents found the current critical value test list adequate; however, 8.4 % suggested that troponin should be added. Conclusions Our findings indicate a high level of clinician awareness and acceptance of the importance of critical value reporting. Timely notification and the selection of appropriate communication methods were identified as key factors. In addition, recommendations to add tests such as troponin to the critical value list highlight the importance of regularly updating the list based on clinical needs.