Trends
An updated version of this essay appears on the Nothing but the Truth about Quality book.
JCAHO just released its goals for patient safety. How we define our goals says a lot about what we're doing - or not doing - right now. See what next year's goals say about current patient safety.
Autoverification seems to be a hot topic these days. Articles are in the press, the journals, and soon to come audioconferences. But just what is autoverification, and how does it relate to QC? And if it doesn't involve QC, just what is really being verified? (Preview)
July 2004
As laboratory scientists, we're taught to connect the dots between control points to look for patterns in the data and underlying causes. As observers of world events, we can also connect the dots and study the patterns to understand the underlying causes. Those events can help us understand the difficulties and importance of quality control practices in the laboratory.
Enron is in the news again, and Dr. Westgard has been studying their failings - and the ethics that they really practiced. What he finds is that our compliance mentality bears a considerable resemblance to the Enron accounting mentality. Really. (Preview)
October 2004
Note: this is an essay that mixes politics with laboratory healthcare.
When quality problems at a Chiron plant mean that half our flu vaccine shots are contaminated, you know that Laboratory Medicine has become part of politics.What you may not know is that politics have very much affected Laboratory Medicine in return, and the results of the election may well determine the future of our profession.