Izvorni znanstveni članak

https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2019.020709

Reporting categories in urine test strip analysis: Croatian survey and call for action

Ana Dojder
Dora Vuljanić
Valentina Špoljarić
Andrea Saračević
Lora Dukić
Jasna Leniček Krleža
Jelena Vlašić Tanasković
Ivana Maradin
Ana Grzunov
Ana-Maria Šimundić

Sažetak

Introduction: In line with the national recommendations, Croatian medical laboratories report urine test strip qualitative analysis results using a categorized scale with defined number of categories. Since concentration ranges for measured analytes have not been provided by national professional authority, it is up to the laboratories to define their own categories. The aim of study was to assess the comparability of concentrations assigned to different categories used in reporting the results of dipstick urinalysis in Croatian laboratories.
Material and methods: A questionnaire was e-mailed to all Croatian medical laboratories (N = 195). They were asked to provide the number of categories and respective concentrations for each parameter. Data were described as numbers and percentages. Values above the upper reference range limit, which were assigned as normal and/or trace category, were considered as false negative.
Results: Response rate was 71% (139/195). Seventy percent (98/139) of laboratories report their results with either higher (77/98; 79%) or lower (2/98; 2%) number of categories, relative to the national recommendation, whereas 19/98 (19%) report their results as concentrations. Great heterogeneity of reporting categories was observed. Multiple categories were assigned to same concentrations and there was a large overlap of concentrations for most categories. Considerable proportion of laboratories reported false negative results for ketones (42%), leukocytes (30%) and glucose (21%).
Conclusions: The concentrations assigned to categories used to report the results of dipstick urinalysis are not comparable among Croatian medical laboratories. There is an urgent need for harmonization and standardization of reporting the results of urine dipstick analysis in Croatia.

Ključne riječi

urine; test strips; reporting; harmonization

Hrčak ID:

221081

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/221081

Datum izdavanja:

15.6.2019.

Posjeta: 1.111 *