Retrospective Analysis and Discussion of Critical Value Reporting in the Emergency Laboratory

ZHENG Huarong

doi:10.13919/j.issn.2095-6274.ZHJY202408036

Abstract：Objective To conduct a retrospective analysis of critical value report data at our hospital from March 2022 to August 2023,providing a reference for further management and improvement of the critical value reporting system.Methods Original data related to critical values from the Emergency Department laboratory at Fuqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from March 2022 to August 2023 were collected.The incidence and distribution of critical test values by project,department,and time were analyzed.Results From March 2022 to November 2023,a total of 1,632,351 samples were tested,with 6,529 critical values reported,resulting in an inci-dence rate of 0.40％.Among these,4,701(72.00％)were reported for inpatients,1,242(19.02％)for emergency patients,and 586(8.98％)for outpatients.The differences in critical values among the three types of patients were statistically significant(P＜0.001).The top five departments with the highest number of critical values were Hema-tology(1502 cases,23.01％),Nephrology(1373 cases,21.03％),Intensive Care Unit(1,314 cases,20.13％),Emergency Department(1,242 cases,19.02％),and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit(667 cases,10.22％).The top five critical test items were blood urea nitrogen(2,176 cases,33.33％),platelet count(1062 cases,16.27％),serum creatinine(842 cases,12.90％),white blood cell count(714 cases,10.94％),and fibrinogen(361 cases,5.53％).There were variations in the monthly incidence of critical values,with the highest rates occurring from Septem-ber 2022 to November 2022,and the lowest from December 2022 to February 2023.The incidence was highest on Mondays,accounting for 18.78％(1226 cases),followed by Thursdays at 15.88％(1037 cases),while Saturdays(11.01％)and Sundays(10.34％)had the lowest rates.Conclusion Retrospective analysis of emergency critical value report data in the laboratory and the establishment of a regular evaluation and analysis system for critical value reporting are crucial for continuously improving the process to ensure timely and effective completion.This approach is important for reducing medical accidents and ensuring patient safety.