Re-Purposing the Ordering of Routine Laboratory Tests in Hospitals in British Columbia

Summary

The goal of this stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial is to assess the impact of a laboratory test overuse intervention bundle on laboratory test utilization in 6 health authorities (16 hospitals) in British Columbia. The main question it aims to answer is if the intervention bundle, inclusive of healthcare provider and patient engagement tools, can be effectively implemented for hospitalized medical inpatients in 16 hospitals across BC and reduce laboratory test over-use. Researchers will compare hospital clusters that receive the intervention at different (sequential) time points to see if there are significant changes in the measured outcomes after the intervention.

Conditions

• Hospital Acquired Condition

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Laboratory test overuse (LTO) Bundle

Key Components of the LTO Bundle: Educational materials, including an online module, clinical decision support tool, provision of lab utilization (Audit and Feedback) reports for healthcare providers. Patient engagement tools, such as videos and educational infographics. System level implementation tools adapted to the local context, including EMR-based tools and order set changes, etc.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Providence Health & Services

  collaborator OTHER

• Vancouver Coastal Health

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Fraser Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Interior Health

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Northern Hospital, Australia

  collaborator OTHER

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Island Health

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Anshula Ambasta · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-05-06

Primary Completion

2026-11-16

Completion

2026-11-16

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations