Improving the appropriateness of laboratory submissions for urinalysis from general practice.

BACKGROUND: Urine is the most common microbiology laboratory specimen. Submissions increase annually by 5-10%, and many specimens may be unnecessary. OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of guidance, implemented by interactive workshops and reinforced with modified request forms, on specimen submission. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized controlled study with modified Zelen design. The study population comprised five primary care trusts (PCTs) in Gloucestershire/County Durham/Darlington, containing 82 general practices in six geographical clusters. The six clusters were randomly assigned to urine workshop covering submission in the elderly, adults and children or a control workshop. Within these groups, half the practices were randomized to receive modified laboratory forms emphasizing the workshop messages. Practices were not aware of the study. RESULTS: Workshops lead to a 12% reduction in urine submissions from 16- to 64-year olds, which persisted for the 15 months but had no effect on bacteriuria rate. Workshops had no significant effect in the elderly or children. Modified forms were not associated with any reduction in submissions but were associated with an 11% reduction in detection of significant bacteriuria in 16- to 64-year olds. CONCLUSIONS: The 12% decrease in urine submissions from 16- to 64-year olds, attained with workshops, may help counter relentlessly rising test submissions. Modified forms are currently not worth pursuing. When educational workshops are used across PCTs to change practice, the change in test submission is smaller than attained in educational initiatives involving volunteers. Workshops may be more effective if they also discuss urine submissions from asymptomatic patients and are directed at high testing practices and care homes.

Interactive workshops increase chlamydia testing in primary care--a controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Primary care clinicians suggest that staff education is needed to increase chlamydia testing appropriately. OBJECTIVES: To determine if interactive workshops and modified laboratory request forms could increase testing and case detection. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cluster randomized controlled study, using modified Zelen's design, examining the effect of workshops and modified request forms on primary care clinicians' chlamydia specimen submission and case positivity rate. STUDY POPULATION: 82 general practices in six geographical clusters within five primary care trusts (PCTs) in Gloucestershire and County Durham and Darlington. INTERVENTION: Practices within geographical clusters were randomly assigned to workshops on chlamydia or a control consisting of comparable workshops on the management of urinary symptoms, held in PCT-protected learning time. Half the practices were randomized to receive modified laboratory request forms. Staff were unaware that they were part of a study. RESULTS: Interactive workshops increased chlamydia testing in 16- to 24-year-old women by 33% in intervention practices compared to controls with effect persisting at 10 months (P = 0.003). No associated rise in the number of chlamydia infections was detected (P = 0.91), suggesting that increased testing may have occurred in a lower risk population. Modified forms did not change test submission (P = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Interactive workshops for general practices can be used to successfully increase chlamydia-testing rates. Chlamydia detection rates will need to be monitored as this type of educational programme may not increase absolute numbers of chlamydia infections detected, if patients at lower risk of infection are inappropriately tested. Other interventions may need to be combined with the workshops, to reach sufficiently high chlamydia screening rates to significantly reduce prevalence of chlamydial infection.