The poster, entitled ‘Test talk: an observational study exploring the discussion of blood tests in routine primary care consultations’ by Drs Jessica Martin, Jessica Watson and Rebecca Barnes, examined whether and how GPs talk about blood tests with patients in a way that supports shared decision-making.
The team examined transcripts and video recordings of 50 primary care consultations by 22 GPs in 12 GP practices from the ‘One in a Million’ archive, all of which contained discussions about ordering blood tests or about test results.
Overall, they found a marked lack of information sharing and shared decision making around blood testing in primary care.
Dr Jessica Martin, lead author of the poster, said: “We are delighted to have won this award and that the research has generated such interest so far. Shared decision-making is generally agreed to be a desired goal in general practice but most research has focused on decision-making around treatment rather than tests.
"With the NHS spending £1.8 billion on laboratory tests in primary care, and rates of blood tests rising at a rate of over 8% annually, there is real potential for harm caused by false positive or false negative results. We hope our research raises awareness of the gap in shared decision-making for blood tests and supports GPs to change their consultation practice.”
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