title: [Utilization of CAP Survey, Based on Questionnaire Results from Survey Participants].
abstract: The survey provided by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) is chosen as one of the proficiency testing programs in Japan, and, recently, the numbers of participating facilities have increased. CAP provides 754 programs, and more than 1,000 tests were provided in 2014. Materials are translated as the "CAP global inter-laboratory comparison program" under the instruction of the Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine (JSLM) selected from CAP surveys in Japan, and 68 programs and 261 items are provided. The total number of participating facilities was 174. CAP itself and the other services CAP provides are not well-known, while recognition of "the CAP survey as the proficiency test" has increased. The question "What is CAP and the CAP survey" was analyzed as a result of the questionnaire surveys conducted in 2014, and the advantage of the CAP survey and how to utilize it were considered. A questionnaire survey was conducted about the CAP survey for Japanese participants in 2014. Fifty-three questions were asked about their satisfaction level, intended use, and improvement. Eighty replies were analyzed. As a result, most CAP survey participants are satisfied. They intend to mainly use the CAP survey for their quality control. Furthermore, they can continuously monitor their systems throughout all testing phases as the survey has numbers of shipments a year and several specimens per each mailing. This helps in laboratory performance improvement. The Evaluation and Participant Summary (PSR) also effectively improves the laboratories' performance. CAP-accredited laboratories are required to participate in all survey programs concerning the test menu which they provide. Therefore, they have become accustomed to reviewing the evaluation and performing self-evaluation with a high usage rate of the Evaluation and PSR of the CAP survey. The questionnaire proved that performing the CAP survey properly enhanced the laboratories' quality control, and this meets the participants' needs.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Hiroie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires