Trends in indication of selected laboratory methods by general practitioners

UNLABELLED: The indication of laboratory methods in general practice is significantly influenced by practical guidelines and protocols for preventive care. The financial regulation pushes on rationalisation of the use of laboratory methods. Point of care testing is more and more important in prevention, diagnostics and follow up in primary care settings.Based on the data available from Skoda Insurance Company authors aimed to describe trends in induction and cost of laboratory methods, the most frequent methods used in primary care and trends in the use of POCT methods within general practice.The expenditures for laboratory methods in general practice are stable for a long term and suggest a rational behaviour of general practitioners. The most frequently indicated methods in general practice are glycaemia, ALT and AST. From expensive methods the most frequent are PSA, troponin and tumormarkers. The number of general practices performing POCT methods and also the number of POCT examinations increase. More than one half of INR examinations and nearly half of all CRP examinations are performed in POCT regime. KEY WORDS: laboratory methods, clinical biochemistry, general practitioner, primary care, POCT.