Table 2 Number and costs of investigations for all hospitals combined, costs before (173 patients) and after (137 patients) guideline implementation.
| Test | Number of investigations/patient | Costs (in €) of investigations/patient | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before | After | Difference* (95% CI) | p Value | Before | After | Difference* (95% CI) | p Value | |
| Electrolytes and glucose | 3 (3) | 2 (2) | −42% (−60% to −23%) | < 0.01 | 4.43 (4.61) | 2.46 (3.28) | −43% (−62% to −24%) | < 0.01 |
| Haematological tests† | 4 (3) | 2 (3) | −37% (−57% to −18%) | < 0.01 | 4.71 (4.43) | 2.98 (3.97) | −37% (−57% to −17%) | < 0.01 |
| Renal and liver function tests | 4 (4) | 2 (3) | −48% (−68% to −29%) | < 0.01 | 7.81 (7.84) | 3.75 (5.93) | −52% (−72% to −32%) | < 0.01 |
| Vitamins | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | −2% (−29% to 24%) | 0.87 | 8.29 (9.68) | 8.13 (9.79) | −2% (−28% to 24%) | 0.88 |
| Endocrinological tests‡ | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.7) | 4% (−29% to 37%) | 0.80 | 3.54 (5.32) | 3.67 (4.71) | 4% (−28% to 24%) | 0.82 |
| Other laboratory tests§ | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 11% (−12% to 33%) | 0.35 | 55.14 (134.85) | 63.45 (133.35) | 15% (−40% to 70%) | 0.59 |
| Electrophysiological examinations¶ | 1.8 (0.72) | 2.0 (0.80) | 14% (4% to 24%) | 0.01 | 131.97 (54.93) | 150.09 (59.62) | 14% (4% to 23%) | < 0.01 |
Values are mean (SD).
*Mean relative difference for the number and costs of investigations; †includes full blood count, indices, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate; ‡includes thyroid funtion tests; §includes immunological tests, neuronal antibody tests, serological tests, and cerebrospinal fluid investigations; ¶electromyography, nerve conduction, and other neurophysiological investigations.
CI, confidence interval.