Utilization, Health CareNCT06119464
Re-Purposing the Ordering of 'Routine' Laboratory Tests in Hospitalized Medical Patients (RePORT Study)
A study testing Multimodal Intervention: Education, Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback and Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement in people with Utilization, Health Care, run by University of Calgary at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Laboratory test overuse occurs when tests are ordered repetitively, without due consideration of impact on clinical status. Repetitive inpatient lab testing often provides limited value for patient outcomes while increasing healthcare costs, patient discomfort, and unnecessary transfusions and prolonging… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Utilization, Health Care
- What is being tested?
- Multimodal Intervention: Education, Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback and Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 251,817 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 2 Jan 2023to Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- all participants (patients and healthcare providers) within enrolled adult hospitals in Alberta of medical and hospitalist units during study period
Who cannot join
- outside of the above-mentioned province
- hospitals not enrolled
- non-medical units (eg. ICU, surgical, pediatric, obstetrical units)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Laboratory test overuse occurs when tests are ordered repetitively, without due consideration of impact on clinical status. Repetitive inpatient lab testing often provides limited value for patient outcomes while increasing healthcare costs, patient discomfort, and unnecessary transfusions and prolonging hospitalizations. The research study aims to reduce laboratory test overuse in hospitals through implementation of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and multi-faceted intervention bundle that includes audit and feedback reports, clinician education, clinical decision support tool, and patient infographics across 14 hospitals in Alberta.
Read the detailed description
Background: Laboratory and Pathology testing contributes to rising health care expenditure. A relatively large percentage (up to 42%) of laboratory testing can be considered wasteful. Redundant testing alone has been estimated to waste up to 5 billion dollars annually in the United States of America. Laboratory over-utilization leads to false positives that promotes further inappropriate testing and procedures, interruption of normal sleep pattern of inpatients, as well as iatrogenic anemia and pain. A Canadian study showed significant hemoglobin reductions as a result of phlebotomy. Studies support the safe reduction of repetitive laboratory testing without negative effects on adverse events, readmission rates, critical care utilization, or mortality.
The aim of this research study is the following:
- To implement a multimodal intervention bundle containing healthcare provider and patient engagement tools for hospitalized medical inpatients in 14 hospitals across the province of Alberta in Canada using a cluster randomized stepped-wedge design
- To evaluate the impact of the intervention bundle on laboratory test utilization of six target laboratory tests (complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, urea, partial thromboplastin time, and international normalized ratio), costs, and patient safety outcomes.
This intervention bundle will be implemented across all the adult hospital sites in Alberta starting January 2023 and evaluated until October 2024.
- Conditions
- Utilization, Health Care
- Being tested
- Multimodal Intervention: Education, Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback, Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement, Multimodal Intervention: System Changes
- Keywords
- Overutilization of lab test, Multimodal intervention, Lab test overuse, Laboratory, Hospital
- Medical subject headings
- Patient Acceptance of Health Care
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Multimodal Intervention: EducationOther
The multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes.
Multimodal Intervention: Audit and FeedbackOther
The multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes.
Multimodal Intervention: Patient EngagementOther
The multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes.
Multimodal Intervention: System ChangesOther
The multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Unexposed to intervention (control period) | No intervention | This is the time period of the study where hospital clusters are not receiving the intervention |
| Exposed to intervention (intervention period) | Experimental | This is the time period of the study where hospital clusters are receiving the multimodal intervention. Receives: Other: Multimodal Intervention: Education; Other: Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback; Other: Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement; Other: Multimodal Intervention: System Changes |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of routine laboratory tests ordered per patient-day in the intervention versus control periods
Number of the six target laboratory tests (complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, urea, international normalized ratio and partial thromboplastin time) ordered per patient-day
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Secondary outcomes (8)
Costs associated with routine and all common laboratory test ordered
Costs of test and associated costs with and without intervention
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Proportion of hospital patient lab-free days
Number of hospital patient-days not associated with laboratory blood draws
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Proportion of critically abnormal test results
As defined by lab standards, we will track the proportion of critically abnormal test results
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Length of stay
Patient length of stay on the unit
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Transfer to Intensive Care Unit
Transfer rate to Intensive Care Unit
Measured: 1 year 9 months
In-patient and 30-day patient mortality over study period
Mortality rate in hospital and at 30-days post discharge
Measured: 30 days post discharge
30-day post discharge readmission rate
Hospital re-admission within 30 days post discharge
Measured: 30 days post discharge
Number of all common laboratory tests
Number of all common laboratory tests (tests that contribute to >80% of hospital laboratory test utilization during study period) per patient-day.
Measured: 1 year 9 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Nov 2023
- Study start2 Jan 2023
- Primary completion31 Oct 2024
- Study completionOct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Utilization, Health CareStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of CalgaryThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, randomizing the sequence of entry into intervention at a cluster level.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 251,817 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Calgary
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alberta Health services, University of British Columbia, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Anshula Ambasta, University of Calgary
- Investigators
- Anshula Ambasta, Principal investigator, University of Calgary
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06119464
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- REB17-1215
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Oct 2023
- Last updated
- 27 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Study data and results will be available for sharing with other researchers who follow the ethical and institutional protocols required by hospitals and health systems involved to obtain the same data
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Re-Purposing the Ordering of 'Routine' Laboratory Tests in Hospitalized Medical Patients (RePORT Study)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06119464
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- REB17-1215
- Conditions
- Utilization, Health Care
- Keywords
- Overutilization of lab test, Multimodal intervention, Lab test overuse, Laboratory, Hospital
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 251,817 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of CalgaryUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alberta Health services, University of British Columbia, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Study start
- 2 Jan 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 Nov 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Laboratory test overuse occurs when tests are ordered repetitively, without due consideration of impact on clinical status. Repetitive inpatient lab testing often provides limited value for patient outcomes while increasing healthcare costs, patient discomfort, and unnecessary transfusions and prolonging hospitalizations. The research study aims to reduce laboratory test overuse in hospitals through implementation of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and multi-faceted intervention bundle that includes audit and feedback reports, clinician education, clinical decision support tool, and patient infographics across 14 hospitals in Alberta.
Detailed description
Background: Laboratory and Pathology testing contributes to rising health care expenditure. A relatively large percentage (up to 42%) of laboratory testing can be considered wasteful. Redundant testing alone has been estimated to waste up to 5 billion dollars annually in the United States of America. Laboratory over-utilization leads to false positives that promotes further inappropriate testing and procedures, interruption of normal sleep pattern of inpatients, as well as iatrogenic anemia and pain. A Canadian study showed significant hemoglobin reductions as a result of phlebotomy. Studies support the safe reduction of repetitive laboratory testing without negative effects on adverse events, readmission rates, critical care utilization, or mortality.
The aim of this research study is the following:
- To implement a multimodal intervention bundle containing healthcare provider and patient engagement tools for hospitalized medical inpatients in 14 hospitals across the province of Alberta in Canada using a cluster randomized stepped-wedge design
- To evaluate the impact of the intervention bundle on laboratory test utilization of six target laboratory tests (complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, urea, partial thromboplastin time, and international normalized ratio), costs, and patient safety outcomes.
This intervention bundle will be implemented across all the adult hospital sites in Alberta starting January 2023 and evaluated until October 2024.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, randomizing the sequence of entry into intervention at a cluster level.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Unexposed to intervention (control period) | No intervention | –This is the time period of the study where hospital clusters are not receiving the intervention |
| Exposed to intervention (intervention period) | Experimental | Other: Multimodal Intervention: Education, Other: Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback, Other: Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement, Other: Multimodal Intervention: System ChangesThis is the time period of the study where hospital clusters are receiving the multimodal intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- all participants (patients and healthcare providers) within enrolled adult hospitals in Alberta of medical and hospitalist units during study period
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- outside of the above-mentioned province
- hospitals not enrolled
- non-medical units (eg. ICU, surgical, pediatric, obstetrical units)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Multimodal Intervention: EducationThe multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes. | Other | Exposed to intervention (intervention period) |
| Multimodal Intervention: Audit and FeedbackThe multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes. | Other | Exposed to intervention (intervention period) |
| Multimodal Intervention: Patient EngagementThe multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes. | Other | Exposed to intervention (intervention period) |
| Multimodal Intervention: System ChangesThe multimodal intervention bundle consists of education, audit and feedback, patient engagement, and system changes. | Other | Exposed to intervention (intervention period) |
Primary outcome
Number of routine laboratory tests ordered per patient-day in the intervention versus control periods
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Number of the six target laboratory tests (complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, urea, international normalized ratio and partial thromboplastin time) ordered per patient-day
8 secondary outcomes
Costs associated with routine and all common laboratory test ordered
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Proportion of hospital patient lab-free days
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Proportion of critically abnormal test results
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Length of stay
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Transfer to Intensive Care Unit
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
In-patient and 30-day patient mortality over study period
Time frame: 30 days post discharge
30-day post discharge readmission rate
Time frame: 30 days post discharge
Number of all common laboratory tests
Time frame: 1 year 9 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Study data and results will be available for sharing with other researchers who follow the ethical and institutional protocols required by hospitals and health systems involved to obtain the same data
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Anshula Ambasta principal investigator
University of Calgary
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Multimodal Intervention: Education, Multimodal Intervention: Audit and Feedback and Multimodal Intervention: Patient Engagement in people with Utilization, Health Care, run by University of Calgary at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of routine laboratory tests ordered per patient-day in the intervention versus control periods (time frame: 1 year 9 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 May 2026.