Collaborative networks: helping rural laboratories achieve quality.
Rural hospital laboratories can combine some of their significant advantages with the benefits of an egalitarian, collaborative network to create a setting in which the disadvantages of their size (such as limited skill sets and resources) may be more readily overcome. Participation in a knowledge-sharing network, a coordinated effort at reference-range establishment and validation, and development of quality and safety algorithms help them avoid many potentially costly problems. This article describes the experience of developing such a network over a 30-year period and illustrates the benefits of this practice.
Hassell
Lewis A
LA
Dahl-Chase Pathology Associates, Bangor, ME, USA. Lewis_Hassell@dahlchase.com
Fogler
Martha W
MW
Russell
Sonia E
SE
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D007753:Laboratories / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012424:Rural Population; D014481:United States