250163 Quality innovation activities in public health laboratory systems

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 1:30 PM

Karen Breckenridge, MBA, MT (ASCP) , Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD
Burton Wilcke, PhD , Department of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
     
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) secured funding to assist recipients (APHL Member Laboratories) to implement innovative research projects which help to define and assess quality public health laboratory practice, systems and services. Proposed projects were required to address one of the following five research questions: 1) What is the impact of the public health laboratory (PHL) system on the public's health? 2) What quality systems ensure public health laboratory quality? 3) What does it mean that there is a public health laboratory workforce shortage and what solutions are available? 4) What do PHLs need (functionally) from the next generation of laboratory information management systems (LIMS)? 5) What does the ideal PHL system look like? Abstracts were reviewed on how well the project demonstrated an answer to the research question and created or further developed partnerships with other public health agencies, academia or other types of laboratories to complete or carry out the projects. This presentation will share the lessons learned from the research projects that addressed the ideal public health laboratory system, quality laboratory system improvement and what the ideal public health laboratory system should look like. In addition recommendations identified as a result of the projects, for future quality improvement activities to strengthen public health laboratory systems will be shared.

Learning Areas:
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1. List examples of how public health laboratories have addressed how the public health laboratory system impacts the public’s health, what the ideal public health laboratory system look like and what quality systems ensure quality laboratory testing. 2. Outline opportunities for future quality improvement activities that strengthen public health laboratory systems.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Research Agenda

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a the Director of Quality Systems at APHL and responsible for the oversight of the Innovations in Quality Laboratory Systems Projects to include recommendation of projects, monitoring progress or milestones and reviewing final reports of the projects
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Models of Quality Improvement Programs in Local, State, and Territorial Health Departments
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