Laboratory testing in myeloma - Questionnaire for haematologists

Myeloma patients experience significant delays in diagnosis both in primary and secondary care. These delays are associated with poorer survival and increased morbidity. The Myeloma UK Early Diagnosis Steering Committee is exploring a number of ways in which this could be improved. One area of interest is the laboratory, and its interaction with both primary and secondary care physicians. Knowledge about the appropriate diagnostic tests, access to rapid diagnostics and the interaction between the clinicians and laboratory teams when significantly abnormal results are found, are key in reducing diagnostic delays. This short questionnaire is aimed at haematologists and explores the interaction between the laboratory and primary and secondary care.

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* 1. Please select the trust/health board you practice in?

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* 2. Are you involved in managing patients with plasma cell disorders?

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* 3. Are your laboratory services provided on site?

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* 4. Does your hospital laboratory perform: (select all that apply)

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* 5. Which of the following results are flagged to you by your laboratory? (select all that apply)

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* 6. How are abnormal results flagged to you? (select all that apply)

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* 7. Is there an agreed threshold at which abnormal results are reported to you?

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* 8. Does your laboratory use coded comments or free text comments for abnormal results? (select all that apply)

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* 9. How many abnormal results are flagged to you?

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* 10. What methods do you use to flag these abnormal results to other clinicians? (select all that apply)

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* 11. Are you involved in flagging significant abnormal results to GPs?

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* 12. Do you have access to cumulative results for patients with known plasma cell disorders?

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* 13. If yes, how are these abnormal results flagged to you? (select all that apply)

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* 14. Are significant changes in cumulative results flagged to you by your laboratory?

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* 15. What is the average turnaround time in your laboratory for the following tests?

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* 16. Does the turnaround time on abnormal results delay the diagnosis of the patient in your hospital?

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