An audit of request forms submitted in a multidisciplinary diagnostic center in Lagos
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Date
2015
Authors
Oyedeji, O.A
Ogbenna, A.A
Iwuala, S.O
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PanAfrican Medical Journal
Abstract
Introduction: Request forms are important means of communication between physicians and diagnostic service providers. Pre-analytical errors
account for over two thirds of errors encountered in diagnostic service provision. The importance of adequate completion of request forms is
usually underestimated by physicians which may result in medical errors or delay in instituting appropriate treatment. The aim of this study was to
audit the level of completion of request forms presented at a multidisciplinary diagnostic center. Methods: A review of all requests forms for
investigations which included radiologic, laboratory and cardiac investigations received between July and December 2011 was performed to assess
their level of completeness. The data was entered into a spreadsheet and analyzed. Results: Only 1.3% of the 7,841 request forms reviewed
were fully completed. Patient's names, the referring physician's name and gender were the most completed information on the forms evaluated
with 99.0%, 99.0% and 90.3% completion respectively. Patient's age was provided in 68.0%, request date in 88.2%, and clinical notes/ diagnosis
in 65.9% of the requests. Patient's full address was provided in only 5.6% of requests evaluated. Conclusion: This study shows that investigation
request forms are inadequately filled by physicians in our environment. Continuous medical education of physicians on the need for adequate
completion of request forms is needed.
Description
Keywords
Audit , request forms , multidisciplinary diagnostic centre , Lagos
Citation
Oyedeji, O.A., Ogbenna, A.A. and Iwuala, S.O. (2015). An audit of request forms submitted in a multidisciplinary diagnostic center in Lagos. PanAfrican Medical Journal, 20. doi:10.11604/pamj.2015.20.423.5778