Advisory Committee Chair
Larrell Wilkinson
Advisory Committee Members
Retta Evans
Jenna Lachenaye
Lance Williams
Summer Powers
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2017
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
Purpose: Hospital-acquired anemia occurs in 74% of patients in the intensive care unit, a considerable portion of this is due to diagnostic blood loss. Anemia is strongly associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to determine the behavioral factors which influence test ordering by healthcare providers and to examine the feasibility of implementing techniques to decrease unnecessary test ordering. Methods: A mixed methods design was used to explore the knowledge, attitudes, behavioral control, and subjective norm of attending physicians, fellows, residents, and nurse practitioners relative to laboratory test utilization. A survey was created to assess these behavioral factors for the quantitative phase. The qualitative interview phase provided a more robust understanding of the behavioral factors that impact ordering practices. Analysis/Results: The 18-question survey was distributed to 155 providers with 98 returning a completed survey for a 63.2% response rate. Means and standard deviations were calculated for each item. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the interviews. Conclusions: The diversity of the opinions represented in the data reaffirms the importance of understanding the behavioral factors associated with ordering laboratory tests. Knowledge of the behaviors that influence evidence-based practice can be used to decrease overutilization of tests.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Michelle Renee, "Behavioral Factors Associated with Clinical Laboratory Test Utilization of Healthcare Providers in an Intensive Care Unit" (2017). All ETDs from UAB. 1272.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1272