Reduction of unnecessary N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) tests: A further lesson in demand management

Livingston, Mark; Kalansooriya, Anura; Hartland, Andrew; Fryer, Anthony A.; Gupta, Jayant; Heald, Adrian H.

Abstract

The number of laboratory tests performed in the UK is steadily increasing (average 8-10% year-on-year increase).1 Funding for these tests is not increasing at the same rate. Hence, considerable interest has focused on managing the demand for pathology tests. A wealth of data now exist highlighting a significant degree of unnecessary requesting,1-6 with commonly requested tests imposing a major cost burden upon healthcare systems. Recently, we reported on a previous success in implementing a demand management strategy to reduce inappropriate C-reactive protein testing,7 highlighting savings that can be made by undertaking these kinds of projects. Serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and the N-Terminal BNP pro-hormone (NT-proBNP) are other tests showing marked year-on-year increases in most UK laboratories (Figure 1; Walsall NT-proBNP data).

Citation

Livingston, M., Kalansooriya, A., Hartland, A., Fryer, A. A., Gupta, J., & Heald, A. H. (2018). Reduction of unnecessary N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) tests: A further lesson in demand management. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 72(4), Article ARTN e13071. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13071

• Journal Article Type: Letter
• Online Publication Date: May 16, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Deposit Date: Jun 27, 2023
• Journal: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE
• Print ISSN: 1368-5031
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: ARTN e13071
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13071
• PMID: 29878475