An Educational and Administrative Intervention to Promote Rational Laboratory Test Ordering on an Academic General Medicine Service

A bundled educational and administrative intervention promoting rational ordering of laboratory tests on a single academic general medicine service led to a modest but significant decrease in laboratory use. To our knowledge, this was the first study to examine the daily progress note as a tool to limit excessive test ordering. Unadjudicated near misses and possible harm were reported with this intervention. This finding warrants further study.