eMJA: Isouard, Box 4

4: Comparison of the changes in the use of clinically indicated tests (A) and non-clinically indicated tests (B) for the experimental and control confirmed AMI groups
A	Pre-TQM intervention period			TQM intervention period			Percentage point increase
	Number of tests			Number of tests			in indicated tests
	Requested*	Indicated†	Ratio A‡	Requested*	Indicated†	Ratio B§	requested (B-A)	P
Experimental group	6800	8772	77.5%	7262	8238	88.2%	10.6	<0.01
Control group	7340	8933	82.2%	7399	9200	80.4%	-1.8	0.19

B Pre-TQM intervention period TQM intervention period Reduction in

Total number of tests requested Number of tests per admission Total number of tests requested Number of tests per admission non-clinically indicated tests per admission P

Experimental group 9667 38.4 1776 7.0 81.7% <0.01

Control group 4890 24.1 4848 23.0 4.6% 0.48

AMI=acute myocardial infarction. TQM=total quality management. *Clinically indicated tests that were requested. †Total number of tests that were clinically indicated but not necessarily requested. ‡Pre-TQM tests requested/pre-TQM tests indicated. §TQM tests requested/TQM tests indicated.

©MJA 1998

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