Biomaterial Database

Workload, organisation, and cost of haematology laboratory out of hours services. 2001

J Shirley, and S Wing

South Thames Haematology Audit Committee, Haematology Department, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Egerton Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XX, UK.

BACKGROUND The cost of out of hours services makes up a considerable proportion of the total laboratory budget and this has encouraged haematologists to examine workload patterns and the organisation and cost of out of hours services. OBJECTIVE To review current levels of out of hours workload and examine the organisation and cost of the service in the South Thames region. METHODS Data collection was by questionnaire and data analysis by Microsoft Excel. RESULTS A variety of methods of organising and financing out of hours services were identified. There was a large variation in workload between different centres. There has been a rise in total workload and out of hours workload over a three year period. The most common tests to take place outside routine hours are full blood counts and clotting screens. The method of providing out of hours services did not affect total numbers of out of hours tests. There were considerable costs associated with time off in lieu for on call staff. CONCLUSIONS The variation and increase in out of hours tests is not related to the way that out of hours services are provided, but is more likely to result from changes in medical practice. There are pronounced differences between centres in the numbers of different types of tests performed out of hours, which are not related to the numbers of acute beds. There is no single model of out of hours service provision that suits all situations.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007755	Laboratories, Hospital	Hospital facilities equipped to carry out investigative procedures.	Hospital Laboratories,Hospital Laboratory,Laboratory, Hospital
D009551	Night Care	Institutional night care of patients.	Care, Night,Cares, Night,Night Cares
D003362	Cost-Benefit Analysis	A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. In contrast a cost effectiveness in general compares cost with qualitative outcomes.	Cost and Benefit,Cost-Benefit Data,Benefits and Costs,Cost Benefit,Cost Benefit Analysis,Cost-Utility Analysis,Costs and Benefits,Economic Evaluation,Marginal Analysis,Analyses, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Utility,Analysis, Marginal,Benefit and Cost,Cost Benefit Analyses,Cost Benefit Data,Cost Utility Analysis,Cost-Benefit Analyses,Cost-Utility Analyses,Data, Cost-Benefit,Economic Evaluations,Evaluation, Economic,Marginal Analyses
D004739	England	A part of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.
D006403	Hematologic Tests	Tests used in the analysis of the hemic system.	Blood Tests,Hematologic Test,Hematological Tests,Test, Hematologic,Tests, Hematologic,Blood Test,Hematological Test,Test, Blood,Test, Hematological,Tests, Blood,Tests, Hematological
D006405	Hematology	A subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with morphology, physiology, and pathology of the blood and blood-forming tissues.
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016526	Workload	The total amount of work to be performed by an individual, a department, or other group of workers in a period of time.	Employee Workload,Staff Workload,Employee Work Load,Staff Work Load,Work Load,Employee Work Loads,Employee Workloads,Staff Work Loads,Staff Workloads,Work Load, Employee,Work Load, Staff,Work Loads,Work Loads, Employee,Work Loads, Staff,Workload, Employee,Workload, Staff,Workloads,Workloads, Employee,Workloads, Staff
D017721	Hospital Costs	The expenses incurred by a hospital in providing care. The hospital costs attributed to a particular patient care episode include the direct costs plus an appropriate proportion of the overhead for administration, personnel, building maintenance, equipment, etc. Hospital costs are one of the factors which determine HOSPITAL CHARGES (the price the hospital sets for its services).	Cost, Hospital,Costs, Hospital,Hospital Cost
D017748	Time Management	Planning and control of time to improve efficiency and effectiveness.	Management, Time,Managements, Time,Time Managements