AJPH
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 75, Issue 3 243-245, Copyright © 1985 by American Public Health Association

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Domoto, K
Right arrow Articles by Komaroff, A L
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Domoto, K
Right arrow Articles by Komaroff, A L
Yield of routine annual laboratory screening in the institutionalized elderly.

K Domoto, R Ben, J Y Wei, T M Pass and A L Komaroff

We examined the yield of a battery of 19 screening laboratory tests performed routinely in 70 functionally intact patients, averaging 82.6 years of age and residing at a chronic care facility. The 70 patients underwent 3,903 screening tests (70 admission batteries and 156 batteries at annual intervals). Twenty per cent of the admission test results and 17 per cent of all subsequent annual test results were "abnormal". "New abnormal" results (previously unknown to the responsible physicians) occurred primarily in five of the 19 screening tests; they were found in 13 per cent of all admission screening tests and in 6 per cent of all annual tests. However, many of the "new abnormalities" were only minimally outside the normal range, and only 26 (0.7 per cent) led to further diagnostic evaluation. Of these 26, only four (0.1 per cent of all tests ordered) led to changes in patient management, none of which benefited the patient in an important way.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
S. Dzankic, D. Pastor, C. Gonzalez, and J. M. Leung
The Prevalence and Predictive Value of Abnormal Preoperative Laboratory Tests in Elderly Surgical Patients
Anesth. Analg., August 1, 2001; 93(2): 301 - 308.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1985 by the American Public Health Association