Reducing Resident Ordering of Daily Labs in Hospitalized Patients

Unnecessary laboratory testing of hospitalized patients remains prevalent despite national campaigns like Choosing Wisely and society guidelines that address this problem. This practice is especially widespread among medical trainees due to self-reported knowledge deficits, discomfort with diagnostic uncertainty, and the expectations of supervisors (perceived and real).

In this study from Saint Louis University Hospital, researchers assessed the impact of multiple interventions on residents' ordering of complete blood counts (CBC, with and without differential), complete metabolic panels (CMP), and basic metabolic panels (BMP). Interventions included education on mindful ordering practices (“Stop, Think, Does My Patient Need Those Labs?”), t…