Every person in America seeks medical care at some point, trusting and relying on highly educated... more Every person in America seeks medical care at some point, trusting and relying on highly educated healthcare professionals and sophisticated technology to solve their medical problems. The majority of clinicians rely on laboratory testing to provide insight into a patient’s illness. Unfortunately, the appropriate laboratory tests are not always ordered correctly during a patient’s initial visit. A study that examined 15 years of inappropriate test utilization indicates that, on average, 20.6% of lab tests were ordered when they weren’t needed and 44.8% of lab tests that were needed were not ordered. This is considered a medical error that can lead to financial waste, psychological distress, delayed diagnosis, or even death. In fact, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The number of laboratory tests available has more than doubled over the past 20 years, giving clinicians at least 3,500 tests to choose from. Evidence is accumulating that clinicians are struggling more with not only selecting the appropriate laboratory test(s) but also correctly interpreting the results. Healthcare providers are recognizing the value of working as interprofessional teams to
ensure that no aspects of a patient’s illness are overlooked. A new, advanced-practice medical laboratory professional, the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), is now available to provide consultation to clinicians and assist them with the ordering and interpretation of diagnostic laboratory tests. This qualitative research project explored the perceptions that clinicians have about medical laboratory professionals and how perceptions change after collaboration with a DCLS. These findings provide insight about an unexplored area of healthcare research and support the need for future study of the efficacy of including laboratory expertise in patient care.
Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice
Background. As telehealth becomes a larger part of the health care landscape, clinicians are beco... more Background. As telehealth becomes a larger part of the health care landscape, clinicians are becoming prepared to operate technology-based systems for conducting routine care and exchanging information. Less defined are interpersonal skills for telehealth care delivery such as communication and therapeutic relationships that can influence clinical outcomes. Examples include clinician adaptability to the communication process via telehealth, clinician congeniality in communications, and striving to achieve telepresence. The purpose of this study was to describe interpersonal skills for telehealth delivery to assist in the preparation of health professionals. Methods. Aqualitative methods approached was used to build on results from our previously published systematic review. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with experienced practitioners or educators (n=6) at multiple regional telehealth centers. Video/audio-recorded sessions were transcribed verbatim and research...
Every person in America seeks medical care at some point, trusting and relying on highly educated... more Every person in America seeks medical care at some point, trusting and relying on highly educated healthcare professionals and sophisticated technology to solve their medical problems. The majority of clinicians rely on laboratory testing to provide insight into a patient’s illness. Unfortunately, the appropriate laboratory tests are not always ordered correctly during a patient’s initial visit. A study that examined 15 years of inappropriate test utilization indicates that, on average, 20.6% of lab tests were ordered when they weren’t needed and 44.8% of lab tests that were needed were not ordered. This is considered a medical error that can lead to financial waste, psychological distress, delayed diagnosis, or even death. In fact, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The number of laboratory tests available has more than doubled over the past 20 years, giving clinicians at least 3,500 tests to choose from. Evidence is accumulating that clinicians are struggling more with not only selecting the appropriate laboratory test(s) but also correctly interpreting the results. Healthcare providers are recognizing the value of working as interprofessional teams to
ensure that no aspects of a patient’s illness are overlooked. A new, advanced-practice medical laboratory professional, the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), is now available to provide consultation to clinicians and assist them with the ordering and interpretation of diagnostic laboratory tests. This qualitative research project explored the perceptions that clinicians have about medical laboratory professionals and how perceptions change after collaboration with a DCLS. These findings provide insight about an unexplored area of healthcare research and support the need for future study of the efficacy of including laboratory expertise in patient care.
Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice
Background. As telehealth becomes a larger part of the health care landscape, clinicians are beco... more Background. As telehealth becomes a larger part of the health care landscape, clinicians are becoming prepared to operate technology-based systems for conducting routine care and exchanging information. Less defined are interpersonal skills for telehealth care delivery such as communication and therapeutic relationships that can influence clinical outcomes. Examples include clinician adaptability to the communication process via telehealth, clinician congeniality in communications, and striving to achieve telepresence. The purpose of this study was to describe interpersonal skills for telehealth delivery to assist in the preparation of health professionals. Methods. Aqualitative methods approached was used to build on results from our previously published systematic review. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with experienced practitioners or educators (n=6) at multiple regional telehealth centers. Video/audio-recorded sessions were transcribed verbatim and research...
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Papers by Leah Ames
results. Healthcare providers are recognizing the value of working as interprofessional teams to
ensure that no aspects of a patient’s illness are overlooked. A new, advanced-practice medical
laboratory professional, the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), is now available to provide consultation to clinicians and assist them with the ordering and interpretation of diagnostic laboratory tests. This qualitative research project explored the perceptions that clinicians have about medical laboratory professionals and how perceptions change after collaboration with a DCLS. These findings provide insight about an unexplored area of healthcare research and support the need for future study of the efficacy of including laboratory expertise in patient care.
results. Healthcare providers are recognizing the value of working as interprofessional teams to
ensure that no aspects of a patient’s illness are overlooked. A new, advanced-practice medical
laboratory professional, the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), is now available to provide consultation to clinicians and assist them with the ordering and interpretation of diagnostic laboratory tests. This qualitative research project explored the perceptions that clinicians have about medical laboratory professionals and how perceptions change after collaboration with a DCLS. These findings provide insight about an unexplored area of healthcare research and support the need for future study of the efficacy of including laboratory expertise in patient care.