Table 2.
Utilization of and rationale for hematology consultation
|
Specialty
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency medicine | Geriatrics | Internal medicine | Rheumatology | Critical care medicine | Hematology ± oncology | |
| Frequency of hematology consultationsa (%) | ||||||
| Never | 16 | 24 | 25 | 7 | 5 | – |
| 1–2 times | 46 | 35 | 41 | 11 | 30 | – |
| 3–4 times | 28 | 23 | 23 | 42 | 26 | – |
| 5+ times | 11 | 19 | 12 | 40 | 39 | – |
| Frequency of consultations received from the emergency departmenta (%) | ||||||
| Never | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| 1–2 times | – | – | – | – | – | 32 |
| 3–4 times | – | – | – | – | – | 10 |
| 5+ times | – | – | – | – | – | 57 |
| Reasons for hematology consultationb (%) | ||||||
| Any coagulation study outside of normal ranges but not significantly abnormal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | – | 61 |
| Any significantly abnormal coagulation studies | 34 | 55 | 54 | 42 | – | 85 |
| Combination of abnormal coagulation studies with clinical bleeding | 87 | 78 | 78 | 65 | – | 88 |
Notes:
a
Survey participants were asked whether they had ever requested (or received) a hematology consultation for abnormal PT or aPTT in a patient with no history of bleeding diathesis or medications that affect coagulation.
b
Summated percentages may exceed 100% because of potential overlap among possible responses.
Abbreviations: aPTT, activated partial thromboplastin time; PT, prothrombin time.