Safety recommendation
HSIB recommends that the Royal College of Pathologists works with stakeholders to understand current practice and make any appropriate recommendations to promote the adoption of an icteric threshold at which a bilirubin test may be cascaded or reported.
Response:
This proposal was discussed at the Biochemistry Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) in February 2023. Whilst the recommendation was considered, it was felt that this [the adoption of an icteric threshold at which a bilirubin test may be cascaded or reported] was something that could not be recommended or promoted at present as icteric index measurement is not a uniform procedure and is manufacturer dependent. There is significant variation across analytical platforms and manufacturers, with no standardisation and thus interpretation of such results might be confusing for the requesting clinician.
Response received on 22 March 2024.