Examples of inappropriate requesting
| Cause of inappropriate request | Example |
|---|---|
| Wrong patient (or patient is unsuitable) | – Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) as a tumour marker in females – carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9) as a tumour marker in children (generally) |
| Wrong test | – Factor V Leiden genetics on a patient with a normal activated protein C test |
| Wrong time | – Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 1 week after the previous test – Digoxin 1 h postdose (in cases of monitoring) – Any repeat haemochromatosis genetic test |
| Wrong process | – Potassium on Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) sample – Unlabelled sample – Renin/aldosterone in patients on some types of diuretic |