New iSOFT intervention saves blood tests

A new software application from iSOFT has the potential to save NHS trusts around £100,000 a year by preventing unnecessary blood tests.

The tool, called Request Intervention (RI), has saved Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (SWBH), with whom the tool was developed, £25,000 on pathology tests alone.

RI applies user-defined rules to determine whether results of previous tests are still valid, which avoids retesting and duplication.

"A diabetic’s HbA1c level can be valid for between 90 and 120 days so measuring again within that time period is pointless and wasteful for many patients", says Alan Wall, one of the clinical biochemists at SWBH. The intervention rules, however, are flexible enough, he says, to exclude certain patients such as those from antenatal clinics where repeat testing could be appropriate.

RI has had a major impact in helping reverse a growing trend, says Wall. "The number of test requests had been rising steadily for several years along with costs, but we are now seeing a measurable decline in tests where intervention rules apply".

RI is now available to all those trusts using iSOFT pathology systems. iSOFT Group headquarters are in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Source: bjhc&im December 2006

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