Thanks to all who replied to my mail regarding patient
test request ratios.
The consensus seems to be people don't have time or
the computer resources/design to calculate them. Too
much emphasis is put on "depends what you mean". I am
aware there is more to just counting test numbers, due
to local factors, staffing levels, equipment used,
complexity of analysis etc. But a test is a single
analysis, a request is the piece of paper on which
they are written,and a patient is the person on whom
the request and the tests are performed.
This question arose from a previous debate on ever
increasing laboratory workloads, but it appears it
isn't important to identify whether this is due to
more tests per patient or more patients having tests
done (or a combination of both?).
Remember someone in the government has said the NHS
is under strain, not because of resources, but because
more patients are being treated than ever before.
Many labs fear they are becoming nothing but "number
crunchers", but it appears they won't even know what
numbers they are "crunching".
Thanks
David Brown
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