A current analysis of quality indicators in Chinese clinical laboratories

Abstract

Background: Improvements in patient safety and outcomes have been linked with systems-based approaches to reduce variation in laboratory testing cycle. Activities linked to laboratory accreditation are also known to improvement in the quality of laboratory testing. Benchmarking is a continuous improvement approach utilised in which errors are identified and outcome of any intervention are monitored against peers. Methods: Roche Diagnostics started benchmarking surveys of laboratory practice in the Asia-Pacific Region in 2011 by collecting feedback from clinical laboratory managers and directors on their laboratories’ operation and performance. The survey is carried every alternate year, and benchmarking report will be released to the participants for their reference. The latest survey was a new edition performed in 2019 via an online platform. Results: This Survey provides a comparison in selected performance indicators in many Chinese diagnostic laboratories with Asia-Pacific peers. Whilst the performance of Chinese laboratories is generally comparable to those of other Asia-Pacific laboratories, there are some differences with regards to how STAT urgent) samples are handled, enrolment in External Quality Assurance programs and certain turnaround time targets. Conclusions: The performance of Chinese Laboratories in the main is similar to the performance of Asia-Pacific countries. Some areas of practice identified as unique to Chinese laboratories may reflect laboratory practices that may be mandated or preferred by Chinese agencies.