Auditing Histopathology Processes to Augment Reporting Quality: An Objective Analysis in a Tertiary Care Neuropathology Laboratory

Abstract

Background: Laboratory audits are an integral component of the continuous quality improvement process and one of the key elements of quality control in the laboratories. These audits are primarily concerned with the everyday aspects of laboratory services and are a means of providing feedback to the users of the laboratory and its staff. These audits measure the performance of laboratory services against established standards that are evidence based and established by the audit team itself. This original study was initiated with an objective to audit all those histopathology processes that are involved in the generation of a quality histopathology report. The purpose was to detect the gaps which in turn maybe used to reduce and avoid errors in the processes, thus improvising the quality assurance practices of the histopathology laboratory. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross- sectional study, total twenty standards were audited, including the clinical details, the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical laboratory processes. Results: Overall, out of the 20 standards audited it was found that in the first audit, full compliance was observed in 10 standards, whereas the re-audit showed full compliance in 11 standards. Undoubtedly the compliance showed an improving trend in the re-audit. Conclusion: such laboratory-based audits not only form an integral component of the quality assurance programs but definitely add on to the quality of patient care, as the reports generated by the histopathology laboratories do help the treating team in deciding or modifying the treatment plan in central nervous system and spinal tumours.