engleski

Quality indicators in the pre-analytical phase

Quality indicators are objective and measurable indicators of the quality of a system (1). They show us how well the system meets the needs or expectations of its customers. In the healthcare setting, the customers of the medical laboratory are nurses, medical doctors as well as the patients. Their expectations are that appropriate tests are requested for every patient ; that the right sample is taken from the right patient, at the correct time and that correct results are reported, on time, to the requesting physician. It is therefore the responsibility of the laboratory to ensure that all these steps are performed with minimum errors and waste and with maximum efficiency. Furthermore, laboratory must ensure that the continuous quality improvement activities are in place to continuously improve effectiveness and reduce errors, defects and waste in the system. A major prerequisite for a successful quality improvement is a standardization of all steps within the preanalytical phase. This is achieved by adherence to available guidelines, implementation of total quality management system and by continuous education of the health care staff involved in blood sampling procedures (2). It is worth pointing out that also those steps which are not performed by laboratory personnel or under the direct supervision of the laboratory staff are also part of the so called total testing cycle and, by all means, fall under the responsibility of the laboratory. The key issue is how to measure quality improvement and that is why we need quality indicators. They help us assess the effectiveness of the corrective and preventive activities and how well, if at all, they improve certain steps of the system.

preanalytical phase; quality indicators

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