After an inpatient phlebotomy-laboratory test request audit for 2 general inpatient wards identified 5 tests commonly ordered on a recurring basis, a multidisciplinary committee developed a proposal to minimize unnecessary phlebotomies and laboratory tests by reconfiguring the electronic order function to limit phlebotomy-laboratory test requests to occur singly or to recur within one 24-hour window. The proposal was implemented in June 2003. Comparison of fiscal year volume data from before (2002-2003) and after (2003-2004) implementation revealed 72,639 (12.0%) fewer inpatient tests, of which 41,765 (57.5%) were related directly to decreases in the 5 tests frequently ordered on a recurring basis. Because the electronic order function changes did not completely eliminate unnecessary testing, we concluded that the decrease in inpatient testing represented a minimum amount of unnecessary inpatient laboratory tests. We also observed 17,207 (21.4%) fewer inpatient phlebotomies, a decrease sustained in fiscal year 20042005. Labor savings allowed us to redirect phlebotomists to our understaffed outpatient phlebotomy service.

This article examines the responses of national governments to the economic crisis that commenced in 2008. We argue that the current search for new bases for accumulation is leading to reforms designed to weaken the position of labour. Moreover, the tendency towards a weakening of labour's position was already evident across different ‘varieties of capitalism’ before the crisis erupted. We discuss the implications for comparative institutional analysis and stress the need for a renewed focus on the underlying dynamics of capitalist economies.

After an inpatient phlebotomy-laboratory test request audit for 2 general inpatient wards identified 5 tests commonly ordered on a recurring basis, a multidisciplinary committee developed a proposal to minimize unnecessary phlebotomies and laboratory tests by reconfiguring the electronic order function to limit phlebotomy-laboratory test requests to occur singly or to recur within one 24-hour window. The proposal was implemented in June 2003. Comparison of fiscal year volume data from before (2002-2003) and after (2003-2004) implementation revealed 72,639 (12.0%) fewer inpatient tests, of which 41,765 (57.5%) were related directly to decreases in the 5 tests frequently ordered on a recurring basis. Because the electronic order function changes did not completely eliminate unnecessary testing, we concluded that the decrease in inpatient testing represented a minimum amount of unnecessary inpatient laboratory tests. We also observed 17,207 (21.4%) fewer inpatient phlebotomies, a decrease sustained in fiscal year 20042005. Labor savings allowed us to redirect phlebotomists to our understaffed outpatient phlebotomy service.

Employment protections are currently being targeted by European policy makers seeking solutions to persistently high levels of unemployment and weak economic growth. This article argues that labour market deregulation is unlikely to usher in a period of renewed growth in good quality jobs. The findings point to the important role of employment protections in stemming job losses in the initial stages of the economic crisis that began in 2008, although protections have not prevented subsequent heavy job losses in the most distressed economies. The study also finds that involuntary participation in non-standard employment has increased since the crisis and shows that this has resulted in an increased risk of in-work poverty.

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