Posted by Sten Westgard, MS Following up on the previous post on what doctors know about laboratory testing, here's another survey plumbing the depths of their knowledge. This study is a survey of general practitioners, intern doctors, and medical students in Spain:The degree of knowledge shown by physicians in relation to the variability of laboratory test results.Emilio Flores, Maria Leiva, Carlos Leiva-Salinas and Maria SalinasClin Chem Lab Med 2009;47(3):381-382.What do you think they found?
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By Sten Westgard, MSIn celebration of Laboratory Week 2009, we'll be giving away (a limited number of ) free registrations to our new and upcoming online course.Quality Management and Design of Analytical Systems, an IntroductionThis course provides the background for understanding QC Design, with
emphasis on available guidelines, quality goals, QC Design tools, and
practical directions concerning the information needed to perform QC
Design.
If you're interested, here's how to include yourself in the running...
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Posted by Sten Westgard, MSSome recent articles on the subject of Quality Indicators have reminded me that analytical quality is to laboratory management much like the laboratory is to the hospital: over-worked, under-appreciated, and assumed to be of reliably excellent quality.
Laboratory Medicine Quality Indicators: A Review of the Literature, Shahram Shahangian, PhD, MS, and Susan R. Snyder, PhD, MBA, Am J Clin Pathol 2009;131:418-431
A Summary of Deliberations on Strategic Planning for Continuous Quality Improvement in Laboratory Medicine, Dana Marie Grzybicki, MD, PhD, Shahram Shahangian, PhD, Anne M. Pollock and Stephen S. Raab, MD. Am J Clin Pathol 2009;131:315-320.
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Posted by Sten Westgard, MSThis week two Harvard doctors wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal: Why 'Quality' care is dangerous (subscription may be required, depending on time of access). In this essay, they warn of the dangers of what they term the "quality metrics" that provide the basis for "pay-for-performance" systems that may govern physician reimbursement. Under any of the proposed healthcare reforms, P4P schemes may be used as a way to "incentivize" doctors and clinicians to provide the right care to their patients.
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