Unexpected expectations in critical values in anatomic pathology: improving agreement between pathologists and nonpathologists with the treatable immediately, life-threatening terminology.

Context: The degree to which critical values in anatomic pathology are understood in the nonpathology community is not know.

Objective: To measure the degree of agreement between pathologists and nonpathologists regarding critical values in anatomic pathology.

Design: A survey containing 15 anatomic pathologic diagnoses was given to a group of pathologists and nonpathologists who were then asked to state whether they should be regarded as critical values.

Results: Nonpathologists thought that a significantly greater percentage of diagnoses were critical than did pathologists, (49% versus 12%, P < .001). If the term critical value was changed to treatable immediately, life threatening, there was no significant difference between the responses of nonpathologists and pathologists (20% versus 12%, P  =  .06).

Conclusions: There is considerable disagreement between pathologists and nonpathologists concerning which diagnoses are critical values in anatomic pathology. Use of the term treatable immediately, life threatening significantly improves agreement.