Safe People
Lead applicant organisation name	University Hospital Birmingham

Safe Projects
Project title	Blood Testing in Inpatients – Computer-driven or Clinician Choice – getting it right for patients.
Lay summary	"Patients admitted to hospitals have high numbers of blood tests during admissions. At Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, the PICS computer system, which stores medical notes, prescriptions, and test results, can automatically request blood tests in response to different situations. Examples include when certain drugs are prescribed, previous results are abnormal, or patients undergo procedures. This automated ordering follows preset rules decided by the doctors who design PICS. The system improves patient safety by ensuring blood samples are taken at important times, allowing problems to be identified sooner. However, automated rules can lead to unnecessary tests, causing patient discomfort and wasting NHS resources. Based on feedback from patients and doctors, researchers aim to improve the system by reducing unnecessary tests while maintaining safety. The first step is assessing the problem using data from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation, including: • The total number of blood tests in hospitals. • How many are automatically ordered by PICS. • How many PICS-ordered tests are canceled by doctors. By identifying unnecessary tests, improvements can be made to reduce discomfort and waste."
Public benefit statement	"The expected benefits to patients are as follows: • If the researchers study indicates that computer-driven requesting leads to over-ordering of blood tests, the researchers will seek to optimise the rules causing this, reducing unnecessary testing. • Should their study indicate that computer-driven requesting orders appropriate numbers of blood tests, they can reassure patients that the blood tests they undergo are necessary. • Should their study suggest that computer-driven requesting does not order blood tests when clinically indicated, they can improve patient safety by addressing these situations. • By optimising the number of blood tests being ordered they can ensure that NHS resources are allocated efficiently, including reducing costs associated with phlebotomy equipment, costs associated with usage of laboratory capacity, and ensuring that staff time is used more effectively. "
Latest approval date	13/05/2024

Safe Data
Dataset(s) name	PATHWAY Research Data Hub: PWY017 dataset

Safe Setting
Access type	Data released via Letter of Authorisation. All researchers have received training in the care, use and protection of personal data, enabling them to comply with their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.

Safe Outputs
Link	Not yet Published