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Best practice in primary care pathology: review 9

¹ Department of Chemical Pathology, Bishop Auckland General Hospital, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 6AD, UK
² Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics, Bede House, All Saints Business Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2ES, UK
³ Department of Chemical Pathology, Furness District General Hospital, Dalton Lane, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 4LF, UK
⁴ Health Protection Agency Primary Care Unit, Department of Microbiology, Gloucester Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester GL1 3NN, UK

Correspondence to:
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
ABSTRACT
This ninth best-practice review examines two series of common primary care questions in laboratory medicine: (i) potassium abnormalities and (ii) venous leg ulcer microbiology. The review is presented in question-and-answer format, referenced for each question series. The recommendations represent 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. They are not standards but form a guide to be set in the clinical context. Most are consensus rather than evidence-based. They will be updated periodically to take account of new information.