Shipped 10 August 2015
HISTORY
The following scenario was presented:
An emergency room patient was discharged prior to his/her blood culture samples becoming positive with S. aureus. How would you proceed (with this patient’s report)?
Please select the one option that best describes your lab’s protocol.
A. telephone/contact family physician
B. send report to ER only
C. contact the patient
D. telephone, contact ER physician
E. not applicable to this laboratory
MAIN EDUCATIONAL POINTS from PC152
- A procedure to allow reporting of critical results must be established to enable these results to be communicated to a physician who can provide follow up with the patient.
- Prompt reporting of these results is important to allow assessment and if required, therapeutic intervention.
CMPT is a program of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada.