Join us for the opening session of our 4‑part train‑the‑trainer - quality assurance webinar series, where Professor Abayomi O. Akanji Professor of Medical Sciences, unpacks the real meaning of quality assurance in pathology.

Join us on Tuesday 2 June, 13:00–14:30 BST for the third session of our four‑part Train‑the‑Trainer – Quality Assurance and Patient Safety webinar series.

Led by Professor Abayomi O. Akanji Professor of Medical Sciences, unpacks the real meaning of quality assurance in pathology. This session will explore, what does quality mean to laboratory personnel and the pathologists?

The webinar series aims to highlight how pathologists and laboratory professionals are integral members of the health management team with essential roles and responsibilities in the maintenance of quality healthcare and patients’ safety. Patient management is dependent on laboratory results and diagnostic assessment, and adverse events can result from laboratory diagnostic errors.  The 2015 Institute of Medicine Report on “Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare” calls on the diagnostic medical community to hone-in tools and skills to better recognize, understand and learn from diagnostic errors. Laboratory medicine should therefore be optimized to guard against medical errors that can significantly affect patient care.  

Reports of analysis of medical errors indicate that system failure, rather than personnel, are often involved. These reports reveal that 55% of errors are due to avoidable delays in diagnosis, while failure to use indicated tests and inappropriate action based on test results, account for 50% and 32% respectively. Most laboratory errors occur during the pre-analytic (61-68%) and post-analytical (20-23%) phases while analytic phase error is estimated at 13-15%. (6) Overall laboratory tests results influence 60-70% of all critical decisions that affect downstream patient care. Patient management can therefore be significantly affected by pre-analytic laboratory processes, including misidentification, specimen labeling, specimen quality, and post-analytic delayed laboratory results.

Laboratory medicine (which includes the different but integrated disciplines of chemical pathology, microbiology, transfusion medicine, hematology, anatomic pathology, molecular pathology, cytogenetics), unfortunately, is often rated very low on most hospital financial budget. Quality improvement and patient safety have emerged as important concepts but how are these actualized in low-resource settings, where some countries may not have effective accrediting bodies and resources to ensure that laboratories are equipped and qualified to perform tests and analyze samples.

Important questions that will be discussed and addressed in these webinar series include:

1. How can quality assurance and patient safety in laboratory medicine be implemented in low-resource areas?

2. What are the barriers and challenges to quality assurance and patients’ safety in low-resource settings?

2. How can these concepts and culture be integrated into routine daily practice in these settings?

3. What processes can ensure, at least, the minimum level of quality in Histopathology, Hematology, Chemical pathology and Microbiology in low-resource settings?

Other webinars in the series take place as below, please note each webinar must be registered for seperatately.

• Tuesday 9 June, 13.00 - 14.30: Barriers to and challenges to Quality assurance and patient safety practices in laboratory medicine in low-resource settings and the way forward.
• Tuesday 16 June, 13.00–14.30: Biosafety in laboratory medicine; ensuring safety of laboratory professionals, patients, environment and community.
• Tuesday 23 June, 13.00–14.30: What minimal daily processes can be integrated in Histopathology, Hematology, Chemical Pathology and Microbiology laboratories to ensure quality in low-resource settings.