The prevalence of critical limit reported to the ward in Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban Negeri Sembilan / Sara Amellya Khairudin Jaffry

The aim of the present study was to know the prevalence of critical value results from the laboratory to the wards in the Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban by manual telephone calling pathway as timely reporting and acknowledgement are crucial steps in critical result management. Among the most important is the clear, accurate and rapid communication of critical value results. Data from March 2013 until February 2014 were analysed including gynae, medical, surgical, pediatric, intensive care unit (ICU) and multidiscipline department. By using documentation audits, comparisons were made in the rate of compliance (%) for critical values reported to the wards between each month. About 3919 critical results were reported from almost a million tests performed in the chemical pathology laboratory which major tests were sodium, potassium and urea. From this study, it showed that the critical value reporting management is not totally achieved to satisfactory level as the rate of compliance for critical value report to the all department were below the 80%. Factors leading to not acknowledge and undocumented critical result to the wards also were identified and ways approaching to improve the critical value notification management are being discuss in this study.