Maintaining Quality Control in Lab Operations - Strategy and Impact

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Quality Control is a critical element of
laboratory operations. It is essential to ensure
that the test procedure and results are accurate,
to maintain patient safety, and to provide
physicians with the information required to make
informed decisions. However, managing quality
control is a tedious task and can be
time-consuming. A commendable Pathology Lab
Software plays a critical role, in managing
quality control at pathology labs, in each of
their operations. This article elaborates on how
quality control is maintained at labs, and what
is required to achieve reliable quality control
while maintaining brand reputation.
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Procedure to Maintain Quality Control at Labs
Following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
and Protocols - Every organization is known to
have a properly destined SOP to follow that
guides them to achieve great results, in an
organized manner. Likewise, for a pathology lab
to maintain high-quality control, it is vital to
ensure adherence to the labs SOPs and other
protocols. This is done by providing a set of
pre-maintained centralized repositories of all
relevant documents. This way, quality control is
managed promptly by all the members in a
consistent and accurate manner. Auto-tracking
test procedures and results - A lab software is
well known for its ability to track the test
procedure followed and the results to assist in
deciding on further actions. Key metrics such as
turnaround time, accuracy, precision, etc., can
be tracked and monitored, which in turn leads to
the sooner indication of abnormality in results,
or even manual errors, if any. Thus it is
relatively easy to achieve accurate and reliable
results from lab operations maintaining
quality.  Centralized Data Management - A
dependable LIMS offers a centralized repository
of all of its testing data that makes data
management easy and increases the possibility of
maintaining quality control. In turn, analyzing
data, identifying trends, and making informed
decisions from the stored data is seamless, which
enhances productivity at lab operations.
Appropriate data management assists in generating
reports and dashboards, that provide great
insights into the labs performance.
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Automated Alerts and Notifications - Lab software
is designed to notify of abnormality while
analyzing the test samples, or when critical
values are encountered from the test results. Lab
equipment efficiency is also verified and alerts
are made when there is a need for a fix. This
improves the efficiency of labs by alerting them
to unacceptable conditions, thereby focusing on
maintaining the quality standards of the
lab. Regulatory Requirement Compliance - For any
facility to function appropriately, it is
critical to adhere to the regulatory
requirements. All these aspects are equally
important in maintaining compliance and improving
quality control at the labs. A pathology lab
software can aid in achieving this promptly, as
it is capable of guiding to perform lab
operations only as per the required regulatory
conditions.
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Audit Trails - A lab software helps to track the
details of sample management as in who and what
of the sample testing, and the procedure followed
thus maintaining the audit trails. The lab staff
are empowered by this data and thus can respond
positively towards inaccuracies, ensure reliable
and prompt handling of the test sample and follow
the correct procedure in the process.   Maintenanc
e and Calibration of Lab Equipment - Lab software
can be designed to alert on upcoming schedules
made for equipment maintenance and calibration,
track and notify on equipment usage thereby
keeping a check on the equipment in the lab. Thus
quality control is also maintained as there is no
cause for the improper functioning of equipment
that could lead to missed results.
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Impact of Maintaining Quality Control Improved
Accuracy and Reliability - Quality Control
procedures ensure that analytical methods and
equipment are working as intended and the results
are within bounds of accuracy and precision.
These procedures help to identify problems like
equipment malfunction or operator errors and make
sure to take corrective actions instantly. Error
Reduction - Performance monitoring, method
validation, and instrument calibration are a few
techniques that can assist in identifying errors
that could compromise the precision and
dependability of analytical data. Eventually, it
is possible to reduce the chances of errors and
improve the quality of the process and results.
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Increased Efficiency - Assuring prompt
performance of equipment and following processes
rightly, helps to reduce TAT and also to achieve
more tests within a timeframe. Ultimately, this
results in improved efficiency thus offering
great patient care and high outcomes with quality
results. Regulatory Requirement Compliance -
Maintaining quality control is achieved by
adhering to regulatory requirements and various
industry standards. This leads to seamless
operations at labs, resulting in accurate and
reliable results. Overall, quality control is an
important aspect of testing and calibration at
diagnostic labs. A reliable pathology lab
software can assist in achieving the same by
ensuring that the processes are followed
perfectly, and all the critical elements in lab
operations are managed in an equally important
manner.