title: Evaluation of quality indicators in a laboratory supporting tertiary cancer care facilities in India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To collect and tabulate errors and nonconformities in the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical process phases in a diagnostic clinical laboratory that supports a super-specialty cancer center in India, and identify areas of potential improvement in patient services.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected data from our laboratory during a period of 24 months. Departments in the study included clinical biochemistry, hematology, clinical pathology, microbiology and serology, surgical pathology, and molecular pathology. We had initiated quality assessment based on international standards in our laboratory in 2010, with the aim of obtaining accreditation by national and international governing bodies. We followed the guidelines specified by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189:2007 to identify noncompliant elements of our processes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among a total of 144,030 specimens that our referral laboratory received during the 2-year period of our study, we uncovered an overall error rate for all 3 process phases of 1.23%; all of our error rates closely approximated the results from our peer institutions. Errors were most common in the preanalytical phase in both years of study; preanalytical- and postanalytical-phase errors constituted more than 90% of all errors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further improvements are warranted in laboratory services and are contingent on adequate training and interdepartmental communication and cooperation.
authors: Triesta Reference Laboratory and drsavithanilkumar@gmail.com.
authors: Savitha Anil
authors: SA
authors: Kumar
authors: Triesta Research and Development Division, HealthCare Global Enterprises, Ltd, Bangalore, India.
authors: Prashanth
authors: P
authors: Jayanna
authors: Triesta Reference Laboratory and.
authors: Shilpa
authors: S
authors: Prabhudesai
authors: Triesta Research and Development Division, HealthCare Global Enterprises, Ltd, Bangalore, India.
authors: Ajai
authors: A
authors: Kumar
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
keywords: errors; laboratory medicine; quality control; quality indicators; quality management; tertiary cancer center