title: Efficacy of feedback from quarterly laboratory comparison in maintaining quality of a hospital capillary blood glucose monitoring program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A 1-year randomized prospective study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of feedback from split-sample testing as part of a capillary blood glucose quality assurance program.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 nurses were randomized to either group A (quarterly comparisons with feedback) or group B (no feedback). The measure of nurse accuracy against the laboratory at 0, 6, and 12 months was determined by an additional five to seven split-sample tests without giving feedback to either group. Mean accuracy was determined in terms of percent absolute deviation from the laboratory result and a clinical consensus limit of +/- 20% deviation from the laboratory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By 12 months, there was a significant effect of feedback on nurse agreement with the laboratory method (P = 0.022 when agreement was scored as the mean percent absolute difference and P = 0.002 when agreement was scored in terms of the +/- 20% clinical consensus limit). Nurses in the group who had received no quarterly feedback from split-sample testing produced a 3.5% greater mean percent absolute deviation from the laboratory method and 12% fewer comparisons within the acceptable +/- 20% range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Feedback received from split-sample testing has a significant effect in maintaining accuracy in capillary blood glucose monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cleave
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zinman
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Szalai
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000592:standards; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose