REVIEW

Best practice in primary care pathology: review 7

W S A Smellie¹, J Forth², S R S Smart³, M J Galloway⁴, W Irving⁵, D Bareford⁶, P O Collinson⁷, K G Kerr⁸, G Summerfield⁹, P J Carey¹⁰, Rubin Minhas¹¹

¹ Department of Chemical Pathology, Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, UK
² Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics, Bede House, All Saints Business Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
³ PRODIGY Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at Newcastle, Bede House, All Saints Business Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
⁴ Department of Haematology, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Kayll Road, Sunderland, UK
⁵ Department of Microbiology, School of Molecular Medical Sciences, University Hospital, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
⁶ Department of Haematology, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands, UK
⁷ Department of Chemical Pathology, Jenner Wing, St George’s Hospital, London, UK
⁸ Department of Microbiology, Harrogate District Hospital, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK
⁹ Department of Haematology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK
¹⁰ Department of Haematology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
¹¹ Medway PCT Unit 2, Ambley Green, Bailey Drive, Gillingham Business Park, Kent, UK

Correspondence to:
Dr W S A Smellie
Department of Chemical Pathology, Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland County, Durham DL14 6AD, UK; info{at}smellie.com

This seventh best-practice review examines four series of common primary care questions in laboratory medicine: (1) blood count abnormalities 2; (2) cardiac troponins; (3) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and (4) viral diseases 2. The review is presented in a question–answer format, with authorship attributed for each question series. The recommendations are a précis of guidance found using a standardised literature search of national and international guidance notes, consensus statements, health policy documents and evidence-based medicine reviews, supplemented by Medline Embase searches to identify relevant primary research documents. The recommendations are not standards, but form a guide to be set in the clinical context. Most are consensus based rather than evidence based. They will be updated periodically to take account of new information.

Abbreviations: ACS, acute coronary syndrome; CHD, coronary heart disease; CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; CMV, cytomegalovirus; EBV, Epstein–Barr virus; FBC, full blood count; GMS, General Medical Services; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

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