Point-of-Care Glucose Critical Values: A Q-Probes Study Involving 50 Health Care Facilities and 2349 Critical Results.

CONTEXT: Accuracy of blood glucose measurements in the critical value range is important for properly treating patients with severe hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance and reliability of point-of-care glucose (POCG) results in the critical value range among multiple facilities. DESIGN: Q-Probes participants retrospectively collected data from up to 50 POCG results in their critical value range including patient location, type of testing operator, repeat glucose results, and caregiver notification. A repeat measurement at 10 minutes or less that was within 15 mg/dL of initial critical low or 20% of initial critical high value was considered a confirmed result. RESULTS: Fifty facilities submitted data. Of 2349 critical POCG measurements, 1386 (59.0%) were retested. The median institutional retest rate was 56%. The retest rate was significantly higher when initial results were in the critical low range, P < .001. Although 30 of 50 facilities (60%) had written procedures for retesting, this was not associated with higher retest rates (P = .34). Among 35 facilities that routinely retested critical POCG results, 23 (65.7%) had criteria defined for interpreting results. The median institutional confirmation rate for retested specimens was 81.7%. The median institutional rate for caregiver notification of critical POCG results was 85.7%. Five hundred eighty-six of 1488 critical POCG notifications (39.4%) were done on patients in whom specimens were not retested. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that POCG results in the critical range may be unreliable because of testing errors that are not recognized from lack of confirmatory testing. In addition, notification of critical POCG results is not consistently performed.

Practices for Identifying and Rejecting Hemolyzed Specimens Are Highly Variable in Clinical Laboratories.

CONTEXT: Hemolysis is an important clinical laboratory quality attribute that influences result reliability. OBJECTIVE: To determine hemolysis identification and rejection practices occurring in clinical laboratories. DESIGN: We used the College of American Pathologists Survey program to distribute a Q-Probes-type questionnaire about hemolysis practices to Chemistry Survey participants. RESULTS: Of 3495 participants sent the questionnaire, 846 (24%) responded. In 71% of 772 laboratories, the hemolysis rate was less than 3.0%, whereas in 5%, it was 6.0% or greater. A visual scale, an instrument scale, and combination of visual and instrument scales were used to identify hemolysis in 48%, 11%, and 41% of laboratories, respectively. A picture of the hemolysis level was used as an aid to technologists' visual interpretation of hemolysis levels in 40% of laboratories. In 7.0% of laboratories, all hemolyzed specimens were rejected; in 4% of laboratories, no hemolyzed specimens were rejected; and in 88% of laboratories, some specimens were rejected depending on hemolysis levels. Participants used 69 different terms to describe hemolysis scales, with 21 terms used in more than 10 laboratories. Slight and moderate were the terms used most commonly. Of 16 different cutoffs used to reject hemolyzed specimens, moderate was the most common, occurring in 30% of laboratories. For whole blood electrolyte measurements performed in 86 laboratories, 57% did not evaluate the presence of hemolysis, but for those that did, the most common practice in 21 laboratories (24%) was centrifuging and visually determining the presence of hemolysis in all specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Hemolysis practices vary widely. Standard assessment and consistent reporting are the first steps in reducing interlaboratory variability among results.

Assessing Clinical Laboratory Quality: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes Study of Prothrombin Time INR Structures, Processes, and Outcomes in 98 Laboratories.

CONTEXT: The anticoagulant warfarin has been identified as the second most frequent drug responsible for serious, disabling, and fatal adverse drug events in the United States, and its effect on blood coagulation is monitored by the laboratory test called international normalized ratio (INR). OBJECTIVE: To determine the presence of INR policies and procedures, INR practices, and completeness and timeliness of reporting critical INR results in participants' clinical laboratories. DESIGN: Participants reviewed their INR policies and procedure requirements, identified their practices by using a questionnaire, and studied completeness of documentation and timeliness of reporting critical value INR results for outpatients and emergency department patients. RESULTS: In 98 participating institutions, the 5 required policies and procedures were in place in 93% to 99% of clinical laboratories. Fifteen options for the allowable variations among duplicate results from different analyzers, 12 different timeliness goals for reporting critical values, and 18 unique critical value limits were used by participants. All required documentation elements were present in 94.8% of 192 reviewed INR validation reports. Critical value INR results were reported within the time frame established by the laboratory for 93.4% of 2604 results, but 1.0% of results were not reported. Although the median laboratories successfully communicated all critical results within their established time frames and had all the required validation elements based in their 2 most recent INR calculations, those participants at the lowest 10th percentile were successful in 80.0% and 85.7% of these requirements, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Significant opportunities exist for adherence to INR procedural requirements and for practice patterns and timeliness goals for INR critical results' reporting.

Clinical Laboratory Quality Practices When Hemolysis Occurs.

CONTEXT: Hemolyzed specimens delay clinical laboratory results, proliferate unnecessary testing, complicate physician decisions, injure patients indirectly, and increase health care costs. OBJECTIVE: To determine quality improvement practices when hemolysis occurs. DESIGN: We used the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Survey Program to distribute a Q-Probes-type questionnaire about hemolysis practices to CAP Chemistry Survey participants. RESULTS: Of 3495 participants sent the questionnaire, 846 (24%) responded. Although 85%, 69%, and 55% of participants had written hemolysis policies for potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, and glucose, respectively, only a few (46%, 40%, and 40%) had standardized hemolysis reports between their primary and secondary chemistry analyzers for these 3 analytes. Most participants (70%) had not attempted to validate the manufacturers' hemolysis data for these 3 analytes; however, essentially all who tried, succeeded. Forty-nine percent of participants had taken corrective action to reduce hemolysis during the past year and used, on average, 2.4 different actions, with collection and distribution of hemolysis data to administrative leadership (57%), troubleshooting outliers (55%), retraining phlebotomist (53%), and establishment of quality improvement teams among the laboratory and at problem locations (37%) being the most common actions. When asked to assess their progress in reducing hemolysis, 70% noted slow to no progress, and 2% gave up on improvement. Upon measuring potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, and glucose, approximately 60% of participants used the same specimen flag for hemolysis as for lipemia and icterus. CONCLUSIONS: Hemolysis decreases the quality and increases the cost of health care. Practices for measuring, reporting, and decreasing hemolysis rates need improvement.

Seven Q-Tracks monitors of laboratory quality drive general performance improvement: experience from the College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks program 1999-2011.

CONTEXT: Many production systems employ standardized statistical monitors that measure defect rates and cycle times, as indices of performance quality. Clinical laboratory testing, a system that produces test results, is amenable to such monitoring. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate patterns in clinical laboratory testing defect rates and cycle time using 7 College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks program monitors. DESIGN: Subscribers measured monthly rates of outpatient order-entry errors, identification band defects, and specimen rejections; median troponin order-to-report cycle times and rates of STAT test receipt-to-report turnaround time outliers; and critical values reporting event defects, and corrected reports. From these submissions Q-Tracks program staff produced quarterly and annual reports. These charted each subscriber's performance relative to other participating laboratories and aggregate and subgroup performance over time, dividing participants into best and median performers and performers with the most room to improve. Each monitor's patterns of change present percentile distributions of subscribers' performance in relation to monitoring durations and numbers of participating subscribers. Changes over time in defect frequencies and the cycle duration quantify effects on performance of monitor participation. RESULTS: All monitors showed significant decreases in defect rates as the 7 monitors ran variously for 6, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 13 years. The most striking decreases occurred among performers who initially had the most room to improve and among subscribers who participated the longest. All 7 monitors registered significant improvement. Participation effects improved between 0.85% and 5.1% per quarter of participation. CONCLUSIONS: Using statistical quality measures, collecting data monthly, and receiving reports quarterly and yearly, subscribers to a comparative monitoring program documented significant decreases in defect rates and shortening of a cycle time for 6 to 13 years in all 7 ongoing clinical laboratory quality monitors.

Documentation of quality control and operator training at point-of-care testing: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 106 institutions.

CONTEXT: Operator training, quality control, and proper follow-up for out-of-range quality control (QC) events are crucial steps that must be adequately performed and documented to ensure excellent patient care and regulatory compliance. OBJECTIVE: To examine point-of-care testing (POCT) personnel training and QC documentation/compliance. DESIGN: Participants in a POCT documentation study of the College of American Pathologists Q-Probes program collected data retrospectively for glucose and urine dipstick testing regarding test operators, operator competency assessment, and QC documentation. Documentation was assessed for participant adherence to 4 quality indicators: (1) whether test operator training was up to date, (2) whether the test operator names were noted in the test records, (3) whether QC was performed, and (4) whether out-of-range QC events were followed up. Data were analyzed for associations with institutional demographic and practice variables. RESULTS: The institutional median number of POCT personnel was 648 for blood glucose and 76 for urine dipstick testing, with a median number of 105 948 glucose tests and 9113 urine tests performed. Ninety-four percent (3830 of 4074) of the test operators completed training or competency assessment within the prior 12 months, 96.8% (21 603 of 22 317) of the test records documented the operator, and 95.7% (19 632 of 20 514) of the expected QC events (per institutional regulations) were documented. Approximately 3% (659 of 20 514) of the QC events were outside the designated range (an average of 6 out-of-range QC events were identified per institution [n = 106]). Of the out-of-range QC events, 92.6% (610 of 659) had documentation of appropriate follow-up. Most laboratories (176 of 179; 98.3%) violated specimen requirements by storing POCT urine specimens for less than 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: There was greater than 90% compliance for POCT documentation and nearly 96% of expected QC events were properly documented.

Twenty-five years of accomplishments of the College of American Pathologists Q-probes program for clinical pathology.

CONTEXT: During the past 25 years, the College of American Pathologists' (CAP) Q-Probes program has been available as a subscription program to teach laboratorians how to improve the quality of clinical laboratory services. OBJECTIVE: To determine the accomplishments of the CAP Q-Probes program. DESIGN: We reviewed Q-Probes participant information, study data and conclusions, author information, and program accomplishments. RESULTS: During this time 117 Q-Probes clinical pathology studies were conducted by 54 authors and coauthors, 42,899 laboratories enrolled from 24 countries, 98 peer-reviewed publications occurred and were cited more than 1600 times, and the studies were featured 59 times in CAP Today. The most frequent studies (19) focused on turnaround times for results or products at specific locations (emergency department, operating room, inpatients, outpatients), specific diseases (acute myocardial infarction, urinary tract), availability for specific events such as morning rounds or surgery, a specific result (positive blood cultures), and a method on how to use data for improvement (stat test outliers). Percentile ranking of study participants with better performance provided benchmarks for each study with attributes statistically defined that influenced improved performance. Other programs, such as an ongoing quality improvement program (Q-Tracks), a laboratory competency assessment program, a pathologist certification program, and an ongoing physician practice evaluation program (Evalumetrics), have been developed from Q-Probes studies. CONCLUSIONS: The CAP's Q-Probes program has made significant contributions to the medical literature and has developed a worldwide reputation for improving the quality of clinical pathology services worldwide.

Fifteen years' experience of a College of American Pathologists program for continuous monitoring and improvement.

CONTEXT: The Q-Tracks program, created in 1999, is a quality monitoring subscription service offered by the College of American Pathologists. OBJECTIVE: To establish benchmarks in quality metrics, monitor changes in performance over time, and identify practice characteristics associated with better performance. DESIGN: The Q-Tracks program provides ongoing study of multiple metrics offered in most laboratory disciplines. The design enables measuring the effects of process changes and comparisons with other participating laboratories. Each laboratory Q-Tracks monitor has a primary quality indicator and additional secondary indicators. RESULTS: To date, 19 Q-Tracks monitors have been offered, with 12 currently active monitors. Q-Tracks are primarily conducted in hospital-based laboratories in the United States, Canada, and 21 other countries. Common to most Q-Tracks monitors is a demonstration of performance improvement by subscribers with long-term participation. This finding was seen in preanalytic, turnaround time, and postanalytic measures. Q-Tracks monitors contribute to the overall demonstration and improvement of laboratory and hospital quality because they address core quality measures for the College of American Pathologists Laboratory Accreditation Program and multiple Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals. CONCLUSIONS: The Q-Tracks program has established multiple benchmarks in most disciplines of the laboratory and has demonstrated significant performance improvement in benchmarks and individual laboratories over time.

Q-Probes studies in anatomic pathology: quality improvement through targeted benchmarking.

CONTEXT: The Q-Probes program is a peer-comparison quality assurance service offered by the College of American Pathologists that was created in 1989. OBJECTIVE: To establish national benchmarks around a specific quality metric at a specific point in time in anatomic pathology (AP). DESIGN: Q-Probes are based on a voluntary subscription for an individual study. Hospital-based laboratories in the United States, Canada, and 16 other countries have participated. Approximately one-third of all Q-Probes studies address AP metrics. Each Q-Probes study has a primary quality indicator and additional minor indicators. RESULTS: There have been 52 AP Q-Probes studies addressing process-, outcome-, and structure-related quality assurance issues. These Q-Probes studies often represented the first standardized national benchmark for specific metrics in the disciplines of cytopathology, surgical pathology, and autopsy pathology, and as such have been cited more than 1700 times in peer-reviewed literature. The AP Q-Probes studies that have been repeated over time demonstrate improvement in laboratory performance across an international spectrum. CONCLUSIONS: The Q-Probes program has produced important national benchmarks in AP, addressing preanalytic, analytic, and postanalytic factors in the disciplines of cytopathology, surgical pathology, and autopsy pathology. Q-Probes study data have been published, cited, and used in the creation of laboratory accreditation standards and other national guidelines.

Frequency monitoring of hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein, and urine protein laboratory testing: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study.

CONTEXT: Ensuring laboratory tests are performed at intervals consistent with established, evidence-based guidelines in diabetic patients is an important aspect of laboratory utilization. OBJECTIVES: To measure how frequently diabetes mellitus patients are tested for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein, and urine protein and to determine whether the frequencies with which these analytes are tested are consistent with recognized guidelines. DESIGN: Participants prospectively identified up to 40 patients with a current HbA1c result and at least 2 previous measurements within the past 24 months. For each patient identified with at least 3 HbA1c measurements during a 24-month period, participants also determined the number of low-density lipoprotein and spot or random urine protein tests that were performed during those 24 months. RESULTS: Participants from 49 institutions submitted a total of 1915 cases that met the study criteria of at least 3 HbA1c test results within the past 24 months. Approximately 95% of patients had 8 or fewer HbA1c tests in the past 24 months; 79% of patients with at least 3 HbA1c tests had at least 2 low-density lipoprotein tests and 27% had at least 2 urine protein tests reported during the 24-month study period. CONCLUSION: Participating laboratories were generally successful in documenting appropriate utilization of HbA1c testing in diabetes mellitus monitoring, but had more difficulty documenting that diabetes mellitus patients had annual testing for low-density lipoprotein and urine protein.

Utility of repeat testing of critical values: a Q-probes analysis of 86 clinical laboratories.

CONTEXT: A common laboratory practice is to repeat critical values before reporting the test results to the clinical care provider. This may be an unnecessary step that delays the reporting of critical test results without adding value to the accuracy of the test result. OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportions of repeated chemistry and hematology critical values that differ significantly from the original value as defined by the participating laboratory, to determine the threshold differences defined by the laboratory as clinically significant, and to determine the additional time required to analyze the repeat test. DESIGN: Participants prospectively reviewed critical test results for 4 laboratory tests: glucose, potassium, white blood cell count, and platelet count. Participants reported the following information: initial and repeated test result; time initial and repeat results were first known to laboratory staff; critical result notification time; if the repeat result was still a critical result; if the repeat result was significantly different from the initial result, as judged by the laboratory professional or policy; significant difference threshold, as defined by the laboratory; the make and model of the instrument used for primary and repeat testing. RESULTS: Routine, repeat analysis of critical values is a common practice. Most laboratories did not formally define a significant difference between repeat results. Repeated results were rarely considered significantly different. Median repeated times were at least 17 to 21 minutes for 10% of laboratories. Twenty percent of laboratories reported at least 1 incident in the last calendar year of delayed result reporting that clinicians indicated had adversely affected patient care. CONCLUSION: Routine repeat analysis of automated chemistry and hematology critical values is unlikely to be clinically useful and may adversely affect patient care.

Paraproteins are a common cause of interferences with automated chemistry methods.

CONTEXT: Previous studies have shown that paraproteins caused spurious results on individual analytes including total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), or HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C). Studies demonstrating paraprotein interferences with multiple analytes measured by different analyzers have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To systemically investigate interferences of paraproteins on TBIL, DBIL, and HDL-C measured by the Roche MODULAR and the Olympus AU2700. DESIGN: Eighty-eight serum specimens with monoclonal gammopathies were analyzed using the Roche MODULAR and the Olympus AU2700. Paraprotein interferences with the MODULAR and AU2700 were identified by abnormal absorbance curves and confirmed by results from the Ortho Vitros 950 or inconsistent laboratory information. RESULTS: Spurious results occurred in 89 of 528 measurements; 29 specimens did not demonstrate any interferences whereas 26 specimens gave spurious results in 2 to 4 of the 6 assays. Paraprotein interferences caused spuriously high levels of TBIL in 4 sera measured by the MODULAR. In contrast, paraprotein interferences on DBIL were observed by at least 1 method in 44% (39/88) of sera assayed, occurring almost exclusively with the AU2700. Paraprotein interferences with HDL-C results were present in 35% of specimens assayed with the MODULAR and 16% of specimens assayed with the AU2700. In specimens with interferences, spuriously low AU2700 DBIL, MODULAR HDL-C, and AU2700 HDL-C results occurred with 28%, 90%, and 91% of specimens, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that paraprotein interferences with TBIL, DBIL, and HDL-C are relatively common and provided explanations why these interferences occurred. Although it is difficult to predict which specimens cause interferences, spurious results appeared method and concentration dependent.

Resident training in point-of-care testing.

Although central laboratory testing has been the norm for the last few decades and point-of-care testing (POCT) is considered an emerging area, physicians were performing POCT long before the existence of central laboratory testing. As medical directors of POCT programs, pathologists need the basic knowledge and skills associated with directing laboratory-based testing programs as well as additional knowledge and skills about testing at the point of care. Although the essential elements of quality testing are the same for laboratory-based and POCT, the enormous variety of settings, technologies, and workers involved present unique challenges.

Evaluation of serum and whole blood sodium critical values.

Laboratories are required to have a critical values policy as a patient safety measure. Serum sodium commonly is included in critical results lists, but a wide range of values are used. We studied all critical serum and whole blood sodium results called to clinicians during a 6-month period. Patients' electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical responses and patient outcomes. Of the 111,545 sodium results occurring during the study, 615 (0.6%) were critical. By using criteria of 120 mEq/L (120 mmol/L) or less and 155 mEq/L (155 mmol/L) or more, we found 166 critically low results and 447 critically high results. In hypernatremic and hyponatremic patients, the lengths of stay were increased above our average, and clinicians responded to more than 50% of results within 4 hours. The mortality rates of hyponatremic and hypernatremic inpatients were 19% and 48%, respectively. Disease severity as measured by length of stay and mortality indicated these critical limits should not be broadened.

Blood transfusions leading to apparent hemoglobin C, S, and O-Arab hemoglobinopathies.

CONTEXT: Apparent hemoglobinopathies caused by blood transfusions rarely have been reported in the scientific literature. OBJECTIVE: To interpret the abnormal hemoglobins appearing as small peaks on hemoglobin chromatograms or electrophoresis membranes. DESIGN: In the clinical laboratories of a university hospital and a metropolitan hospital affiliated with a medical school, we interpreted hemoglobin chromatograms and electrophoresis membranes; correlated them with patients' medical, laboratory, and transfusion records; and when possible, identified the abnormal hemoglobin in the donors' transfusion segments. RESULTS: We detected 52 incidences of apparent hemoglobinopathies in 32 recipients caused by blood transfusion, of which 46 were hemoglobin C, 4 were hemoglobin S, and 2 were hemoglobin O-Arab. When first detected, the abnormal hemoglobins in recipients ranged from 0.8% to 14% (median, 5.6%). Multiple transfusions with abnormal hemoglobins occurred in 11 patients with 2 patients receiving hemoglobin C blood 5 separate times. One patient received hemoglobin C and later S, and another patient received C and later O-Arab. CONCLUSIONS: Apparent hemoglobinopathies caused by blood transfusions are far more common than previously reported and represent diagnostic challenges. Misdiagnosis could lead to unnecessary testing, treatment, and counseling. If a hemoglobinopathy from a unit of transfused blood is identified in a recipient, we recommend notifying the donor of that abnormality.

Evaluation of total serum calcium critical values.

CONTEXT: As a patient safety measure, laboratories are required by regulatory agencies to have a critical values policy. Total serum calcium commonly is included in critical results lists; however, a wide range of values are used and there is scant outcome data justifying inclusion of this analyte in these lists. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the appropriateness of the critical values for total serum calcium used in our institution. DESIGN: We studied all critical total serum calcium results found during a 3-month period. The patients' medical records were evaluated for the presence of documented critical results call for calcium, clinician response, and patient outcome. The patients' outcomes were measured by time of clinical response, length of stay in the hospital, and mortality. RESULTS: There were 722 (1.4%) critical results found in a total of 50 402 total serum calcium results. Using our criteria of 7 mg/dL or less as the low and 12 mg/dL or more as the high critical value, we found 171 patients with 608 critically low results and 47 patients with 114 critically high results. Eighty percent of patients with critically low results and 75% of patients with critically high results had length of stays greater than our average (5.58 days). Clinicians responded to 49% of the critical results calls within 4 hours. There was an overall mortality rate of greater than 25%, with more than half the mortality occurring in patients who had results within 0.5 mg/dL of the cutoff values used. CONCLUSION: Although broadening critical values limits would reduce required calls, this does not appear warranted. The disease severity of the patients as measured by length of stay and mortality, as well as the rapidity with which patients were treated, indicate that the current limits are appropriate and should not be widened.

Spurious hemoglobin Barts caused by bilirubin: a common interference mimicking an uncommon hemoglobinopathy.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is replacing electrophoresis for identification of hemoglobin variants. Our objective was to identify unknown tall peaks with elution times and shapes of hemoglobin Barts found on hemoglobin chromatograms that could not be confirmed by alkaline and acid gel electrophoresis. Of 90 specimens identified with this peak, 86 were from patients with hemoglobin SS. Regression of the height of the unknown peaks to serum bilirubin concentrations, diminution of the unknown peaks by washing the specimens, and chromatographic similarity of a total bilirubin serum calibrator, a bilirubin proficiency testing specimen, and 3 patients' serum samples with markedly elevated bilirubin to hemoglobin Barts provide evidence the peak was bilirubin. We suggest exclusion of bilirubin before HPLC results are reported as consistent with hemoglobin Barts.

Errors in laboratory medicine: practical lessons to improve patient safety.

CONTEXT: Patient safety is influenced by the frequency and seriousness of errors that occur in the health care system. Error rates in laboratory practices are collected routinely for a variety of performance measures in all clinical pathology laboratories in the United States, but a list of critical performance measures has not yet been recommended. The most extensive databases describing error rates in pathology were developed and are maintained by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). These databases include the CAP's Q-Probes and Q-Tracks programs, which provide information on error rates from more than 130 interlaboratory studies. OBJECTIVES: To define critical performance measures in laboratory medicine, describe error rates of these measures, and provide suggestions to decrease these errors, thereby ultimately improving patient safety. SETTING: A review of experiences from Q-Probes and Q-Tracks studies supplemented with other studies cited in the literature. DESIGN: Q-Probes studies are carried out as time-limited studies lasting 1 to 4 months and have been conducted since 1989. In contrast, Q-Tracks investigations are ongoing studies performed on a yearly basis and have been conducted only since 1998. Participants from institutions throughout the world simultaneously conducted these studies according to specified scientific designs. The CAP has collected and summarized data for participants about these performance measures, including the significance of errors, the magnitude of error rates, tactics for error reduction, and willingness to implement each of these performance measures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A list of recommended performance measures, the frequency of errors when these performance measures were studied, and suggestions to improve patient safety by reducing these errors. RESULTS: Error rates for preanalytic and postanalytic performance measures were higher than for analytic measures. Eight performance measures were identified, including customer satisfaction, test turnaround times, patient identification, specimen acceptability, proficiency testing, critical value reporting, blood product wastage, and blood culture contamination. Error rate benchmarks for these performance measures were cited and recommendations for improving patient safety presented. CONCLUSIONS: Not only has each of the 8 performance measures proven practical, useful, and important for patient care, taken together, they also fulfill regulatory requirements. All laboratories should consider implementing these performance measures and standardizing their own scientific designs, data analysis, and error reduction strategies according to findings from these published studies.

Comparative analytical costs of central laboratory glucose and bedside glucose testing: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study.

CONTEXT: One of the major attributes of laboratory testing is cost. Although fully automated central laboratory glucose testing and semiautomated bedside glucose testing (BGT) are performed at most institutions, rigorous determinations of interinstitutional comparative costs have not been performed. OBJECTIVES: To compare interinstitutional analytical costs of central laboratory glucose testing and BGT and to provide suggestions for improvement. DESIGN: Participants completed a demographic form about their institutional glucose monitoring practices. They also collected information about the costs of central laboratory glucose testing, BGT at a high-volume testing site, and BGT at a low-volume testing site, including specified cost variables for labor, reagents, and instruments. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 445 institutions enrolled in the College of American Pathologists Q-Probes program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Median cost per glucose test at 3 testing sites. RESULTS: The median (10th-90th percentile range) costs per glucose test were 1.18 dollars (5.59 dollars-0.36 dollars), 1.96 dollars (9.51 dollars-0.77 dollars), and 4.66 dollars (27.54 dollars-1.02 dollars) for central laboratory, high-volume BGT sites, and low-volume BGT sites, respectively. The largest percentages of the cost per test were for labor (59.3%, 72.7%, and 85.8%), followed by supplies (27.2%, 27.3%, and 13.4%) and equipment (2.1%, 0.0%, and 0.0%) for the 3 sites, respectively. The median number of patient specimens per month at the high-volume BGT sites was 625 compared to 30 at the low-volume BGT sites. Most participants did not include labor, instrument maintenance, competency assessment, or oversight in their BGT estimated costs until required to do so for the study. CONCLUSIONS: Analytical costs per glucose test were lower for central laboratory glucose testing than for BGT, which, in turn, was highly variable and dependent on volume. Data that would be used for financial justification for BGT were widely aberrant and in need of improvement.

Continuous monitoring of stat and routine outlier turnaround times: two College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks monitors in 291 hospitals.

CONTEXT: The laboratory test turnaround times (TATs) that exceed the expectations of clinicians who order those tests, the so-called outlier test reporting rates, may be responsible for perceptions of inadequate laboratory service. OBJECTIVE: To monitor outlier test reporting rates for emergency department stat potassium results and routine inpatient morning blood tests. DESIGN: In 2 different monitors, each conducted for 2 years, laboratory personnel in institutions enrolled in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Q-Tracks program tracked the percentages of emergency department stat potassium results and/or the percentages of morning rounds routine test results that were reported later than self-imposed reporting deadlines. SETTING: A total of 291 hospitals participating in 2 CAP Q-Tracks monitors. RESULTS: Participants monitored 225,140 stat emergency department potassium TATs, of which 33,402 (14.8%) were outliers, and 1,055040 routine morning test reporting times, of which 123,554 (11.7%) were outliers. For both monitors, there was a significant (P <.05) downward trend in the outlier rates as the number of quarters in which participants submitted data increased. CONCLUSION: Outlier reporting rates for emergency department stat potassium and routine morning test results decreased during the 2-year period of continuous monitoring. The CAP Q-Tracks program provides an effective vehicle by which providers of laboratory services may improve the timeliness with which they deliver the results of laboratory tests.