Disclaimer: It is always the requester's responsibility to ensure that they user their own clinical judgement when interpreting test results, that any test requested is followed up appropriately and that the process is completed in a timely manner. Always give the patient a safety-net with regards to any follow-up too. These reports and views are intended to assist and support this process, but not to override or replace it. If your local laboratory uses different read codes resulting in the reports and views below are not functioning correctly, please just inform us and we will make any necessary changes. Please also note that if a patient moves practice, their new practice may not use the same follow-up procedure so ensure that a safe handover is done.
The 'Results Follow-Up' resources on Ardens can be used to assist:
1. Recording follow-up
2. Reminder for overdue tests
3. Performing follow-up tests
4. Chasing tests done with no results
5. Removing patients from follow-up
1. Recording follow-up
Open The ‘Results Follow-Up’ template by going to Auto-consultations > Ardens Results. You can add it to your F12 Favourites for quick access too.
If the patient needs some follow-up tests, you can select the general ‘Tests Required’ tab and tick any blood tests that are required. You can also inform the patient by highlighting the text below and copying this, clicking on the Email/SMS/Letter button and pasting this text in to the content of the message.
On this template are also specific tabs for following-up particular results. An example below is following up a low haemoglobin result with haematinics. Similarly as above again, just tick the boxes to record the specific tests that are required and then inform the patient by Email, SMS or Letter.
It is also possible to set the date for the blood test in the future. For example, if you wanted a PSA to be done in 12 months time, you can just tick the ‘PSA due’ box and type ‘12m’ in to the date field beside it.
2. Reminders for overdue tests
Reports are set up to identify patients with tests or follow-up that is overdue. For blood tests, they will show on this report if their blood tests were due over 2 weeks ago and if they have not had a corresponding blood test result after this date. Using the PSA patient above as an example, this patient would show in this report if they had ‘PSA due’ date set and had no 'PSA level’ pathology result read code in their record 2 weeks after this date.
To access these reports, go to Clinical Reporting > Ardens > Tests. > Follow-up Template.
3. Performing follow-up blood tests
The ‘Phlebotomy Test’ template is set-up to ensure that the Phlebotomists knows which bloods to take. On the bottom of the template you will see the blood tests that have been requested along with the date.
In the example below, you can see that a ferritin, FBC, folic acid, vitamin B12 have been requested and is due on 3rd Aug 2018, and a PSA is also due but not for a year on 3rd Aug 2019. You can also see that this patient is on a DOAC and needs a FBC, UE + LFT done too as part of routine medication monitoring. This 'Phlebotomy Test' template and view therefore ensures that any routine blood tests are also done at the time that any ad-hoc tests are required.
The 'Follow-Up' template can then be used to review any outstanding follow-up. In the example below, the PSA was due 3 months ago in May 2018. You can then record that a reminder has been sent and click on the email, SMS or letter button to send this. There is also a link to the 'Contact Details' template with their telephone number on for you to ring them if needed.
N.B. If the patient has been asked to make a follow-up appointment, on the 'Telephone Consultation' and 'General Consultation' template is a 'Follow-up' tick box near the top to record that follow-up has occurred. To access these templates, just click the telephone icon or doctors bag icon under the patient's name.
4. Chasing tests done with no results
To access these reports, go to Clinical Reporting > Ardens > Tests > Follow up. These reports can be run and then the patient's notes can be reviewed.
5. Removing Patients From Follow-Up
If the PSA are any other follow-up in the view no longer required or has been done already but is still showing in the view above, click the link in the bottom right of the follow-up template called 'Remove From F/U'.
To remove entries from yesterday or before, enter codes from both the 'Action' and the 'Follow-up' drop down box below. Please note that by doing this, it will potentially remove the patient from any other blood tests and appointments that are overdue.
To remove entries from today or in the future, right click them and mark these codes in error if appropriate.
