Templates and records · ISO 15189 · Clause 7.4.1

ISO 15189 critical result communication log

The urgent call to the doctor when a result puts the patient in immediate danger: who was told, when, what they were told and how it was checked that they understood.

In one sentence

The critical result communication log records, for each result within the alert limits, the date and time, who communicated it and to whom, the result conveyed, the check that the message was understood and any difficulty or escalation, because clause 7.4.1 of ISO 15189:2022 requires the professional responsible for the patient to be notified as soon as possible under a procedure agreed with clinicians, and a record of the actions to be kept.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: ISO 15189 · Clause 7.4.1 Clauses are cited using the numbering of ISO 15189:2022, the edition in force since the transition ended in December 2025 and the same one the Academy uses.
Type of information: Mandatory record Record of actions taken to communicate critical results (7.4.1)
Who fills it in: Authorised laboratory staff Usually the on-call consultant or the technician designated by procedure
When: As soon as the result is validated The maximum time is set by the procedure agreed with clinicians
How long it is kept: Set by the laboratory ISO 15189 asks for the retention time of each record to be defined, taking into account legal and user requirements (8.4). Those forming part of the medical record also follow the applicable health regulations.

What the standard requires

What ISO 15189 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

When a result falls within established alert or critical limits, the standard requires it to be communicated as soon as possible to the clinician or other authorised healthcare professional, under a procedure agreed with the laboratory's users.

The procedure includes what to do if the person responsible cannot be reached: whom to escalate to and within what time. The date, time, person communicating, person receiving, result conveyed, verification of the accuracy of the communication and any difficulties are recorded.

The list of measurands and critical limits is agreed by the laboratory with the clinical services and reviewed periodically. It is not the same for a hospital with an emergency department as for a primary care laboratory.

Read it in context: Process requirements, in the ISO 15189 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Patient (identifier) and request number
Measurand, result and critical limit exceeded
Date and time the result was validated
Date and time of communication
Person communicating
Person receiving and their role
Verification: read-back of the result by the recipient
Difficulties and escalation

Example

Example: critical potassium in an emergency patient

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Request	26-052214 · patient identified by record number (made up)
Result	Potassium 6.9 mmol/L · critical limit > 6.5
Validation	14 May 2026, 03:12
First attempt	03:15 · emergency doctor not reached
Escalation	03:22 · emergency nursing supervisor, as per procedure
Received by	Nursing supervisor · reads the result back
Communicated by	On-call laboratory consultant
Total time	10 minutes from validation · target ≤ 30 minutes

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

No time recorded, so compliance with the agreed time cannot be measured.
Anyone in the department is told, without checking they are authorised.
No check that the recipient has understood the value.
A critical value list not agreed with clinicians and never reviewed.
Notifications through informal channels that leave no trace.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1A critical value triggers an automatic alert, without depending on someone checking the list in time.
2The communication record is completed on a form with time, recipient and read-back.
3Communication time is tracked as an indicator on the dashboard.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

Is it enough for the critical value to appear on the electronic report?

No. ISO 15189 requires it to be actively communicated to the professional responsible and that communication to be recorded. Posting it to the medical record does not guarantee anyone will see it in time.

Who decides what a critical value is?

The laboratory, in agreement with the clinicians who treat its patients. The list is documented, communicated and reviewed periodically.

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