How should abnormal lab results be handled in Epic ASAP?

How should abnormal lab results be handled in Epic ASAP?

• A. Review, document interpretation and plan, notify the clinician if necessary, and consider alerts.
• B. Ignore the abnormal result if it is not urgent.
• C. Delete the abnormal result.
• D. Immediately re-run the test.

Answer: (A)

When a lab result in Epic ASAP is abnormal, the right approach is a structured, timely workflow: review the result in the patient’s chart, interpret what it means in the current clinical context, document a clear plan of action, and notify the appropriate clinician if the abnormality requires a decision beyond your immediate scope. At the same time, activate or rely on system alerts to ensure the team is aware and follow-up is tracked. This sequence supports patient safety by ensuring the abnormal finding is understood, a concrete next step is defined, and everyone involved is alerted to act. Review first to verify the abnormal value, check trends with prior results, and consider factors such as symptoms, recent procedures, medications, or lab variability. Then document your interpretation and the plan—what needs to be done next (repeat testing, additional workup, treatment, or a consult), and the target timing. If action is needed beyond your role, notifying the clinician keeps care coordinated and ensures timely decisions. Alerts help prevent missed results by surfacing abnormalities to the right team. Ignoring the result risks patient safety, while deleting it erases important information from the record. Re-running the test immediately without assessment can waste resources and may obscure underlying causes.

When a lab result in Epic ASAP is abnormal, the right approach is a structured, timely workflow: review the result in the patient’s chart, interpret what it means in the current clinical context, document a clear plan of action, and notify the appropriate clinician if the abnormality requires a decision beyond your immediate scope. At the same time, activate or rely on system alerts to ensure the team is aware and follow-up is tracked. This sequence supports patient safety by ensuring the abnormal finding is understood, a concrete next step is defined, and everyone involved is alerted to act.

Review first to verify the abnormal value, check trends with prior results, and consider factors such as symptoms, recent procedures, medications, or lab variability. Then document your interpretation and the plan—what needs to be done next (repeat testing, additional workup, treatment, or a consult), and the target timing. If action is needed beyond your role, notifying the clinician keeps care coordinated and ensures timely decisions. Alerts help prevent missed results by surfacing abnormalities to the right team.

Ignoring the result risks patient safety, while deleting it erases important information from the record. Re-running the test immediately without assessment can waste resources and may obscure underlying causes.