Effect of Urgent Clinician Notification of Low Hemoglobin Values

Background: Urgent clinician notification of low hemo-globin values is a common practice. The effect of such notification for samples obtained during an office visit is uncertain. Methods: We notified the attending physicians in 100 consecutive cases of outpatients with hemoglobin <80 g/L. We reviewed the medical charts of these patients with their personal physicians 1–2 months later. We considered transfusions unnecessary only when given to a clinically stable patient with probable iron defi-ciency anemia in the absence of chronic diseases that produce the anemia. Results: Overall, 47 (47%) of the patients were referred to the emergency room (ER), and 31 of the 47 (66%) were transfused. Increasing age and decreasing hemoglobi