How to Teach Laboratory Stewardship in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum?

Objectives: Promotion of high-quality care at a lower cost requires educational initiatives across the continuum of medical education. A needs assessment was performed to inform the design of an educational tool with the goal of teaching laboratory stewardship to medical students.

Methods: The needs assessment consisted of semistructured interviews with core clerkship directors and residency program directors at our institution, a national survey to the Undergraduate Medical Educators Section (UMEDS) of the Association of Pathology Chairs, and a review of existing online resources that teach high-value care.

Results: Two major themes emerged regarding opportunities to enhance laboratory stewardship education: appropriate ordering (knowledge of test indications, pretest/posttest probability, appropriateness criteria, recognition of unnecessary testing) and correct interpretation (understanding test specifications, factors that affect the test result, recognizing inaccurate results).

Conclusions: The online educational tool will focus on the curricular needs identified, using a multidisciplinary approach for development and implementation.