Policies and practices in the field of laboratory hematology in Croatia – a current overview and call for improvement

Autor: Ana Nikler, Ivona Herceg, Ivana Lapić, Brankica Šimac, Martina Horvat, Franciska Tomić, Vanja Radišić Biljak, Dora Vuljanić, Helena Čičak, Adrijana Dorotić, Valentina Vidranski
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM).
ISSN: 1437-4331
1434-6621
DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2021-1027
Popis: Objectives In 2019 The Croatian Working Group for Laboratory Hematology, on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, wanted to explore the background in field of laboratory hematology routine practice among Croatian laboratories in order to develop future strategies for producing national recommendations, if needed. Methods During April and May 2019, a comprehensive survey covering all main parts of the total testing process within the field of laboratory hematology among Croatian medical laboratories was conducted. The survey comprised 49 inquiries. Data was collected using Survey Monkey (Palo Alto, CA, USA). All collected data was anonymized. Results The response rate was 72%. There is still a substantial number of laboratories that have only three-part differential hematology analyzers (9%). Furthermore, a very high number of laboratories did not perform analyzer verification prior to implementation into routine work (31%). Out of those who have verified their analyzers, a diversity of guidelines and recommendations were used. Nearly 10% of the laboratories do not have a defined policy regarding specimen rejection. The majority of the participants perform internal quality control daily (83%), however, only 51% of respondents evaluate the agreement between different hematology analyzers on daily basis. Although more than 90% of Croatian laboratories have a defined policy regarding specimen rejection, only 61% of respondents continuously monitor quality indicators in routine practice. Conclusions The survey revealed substantial differences in all aspects of laboratory hematology practices among Croatian medical laboratories, indicating the need for universal recommendations at the national level.
Databáze: OpenAIRE