Approach to the system of critical values of laboratory parameters in clinical diagnostic laboratories of the Republic of Belarus

Abstract

The problem of critical values of laboratory parameters is actively discussed by the world community. The system of critical values is important for patient safety and is an important component of ensuring the quality of work of medical organizations, therefore, the development of lists of critical indicators and improvement of the reporting procedure for them are pressing issues, the solution of which requires close interaction between clinical laboratory diagnostic specialists and clinicians. Objective. Analysis of lists of critical values of laboratory analytes and documentation regulating work with critical indicators in clinical diagnostic laboratories of the healthcare system of the Republic of Belarus. Materials and methods. The study was conducted using online questionnaires. The survey involved 278 clinical diagnostic laboratories of healthcare organizations representing all regions of the Republic of Belarus. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using Microsoft Excel. Results. It has been shown that work on the formation of lists of critical values of laboratory analytes and the work procedure for their establishment in a number of healthcare organizations is not carried out in full and requires some improvement. Conclusion. Lists of critical values should be compiled in each healthcare organization, taking into account its profile and patient population. The lists must be regularly updated, and for their formation it is useful to use the data provided in literature sources.