Accountability through regulation in Ontario's Medical Laboratory Sector.

Healthc Policy

Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

Published: September 2014

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study highlights the importance of integrating performance indicators within a broader system of care in medical laboratories, moving beyond just the analytical phase.
  • There are significant challenges and benefits related to accountability in the Ontario Medical Laboratory Sector, particularly regarding adherence to quality management guidelines mandated by the provincial government.
  • The pre-analytical phase poses the greatest challenges, especially in communication and coordination between laboratories and healthcare providers, which contributes to a large number of errors.

Article Abstract

Although the use of performance indicators for the analytical (and highly measurable) phase of the medical laboratory process has had a long and successful history, it is now recognized that the value of a laboratory test is embedded in a system of care. This case study, using both documents and interview data, examines the approaches to accountability in the Ontario Medical Laboratory Sector, noting both the challenges and benefits. This sector relies heavily on the regulation instrument, including a requirement that all medical laboratories licensed by the provincial government must follow the guidelines set out by the Quality Management Program - Laboratory Services. We found the greatest challenges exist in the pre-analytical phase (where a large portion of total laboratory errors occur), particularly the interface between the laboratory and other providers.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255567PMC

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