A multifaceted quality improvement intervention can significantly and rapidly cut electrolyte testing among pediatric inpatients, according to a study published April 4 in Pediatrics. Furthermore, the authors show that the reduction in testing yielded financial savings and was not associated with unintended adverse events, suggesting that much of the previous electrolyte testing had been unnecessary. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital aimed to reduce electrolyte testing within the hospital medicine service by at least 25 percent within 6 months. All panels that contained at least one electrolyte test, as well as individual electrolyte tests, were targeted. The group used multiple interventions that included education about the clinical value of electrolyte testing and the costs of testing (session and emails), individual feedback on ordering practices, standardized communication about an electrolyte testing plan, and removal of daily repeating orders in the electronic ordering system. Testing rates and costs for the nine months following the intervention were compared to those at baseline (from Jan. 1, 2015, to Aug. 1, 2016). The researchers found that at baseline the mean rate of electrolyte testing was 2.0 laboratory draws per 10 patient days. In the two months following the initial education intervention, this rate decreased by 35 percent to […]