PubMed · 11066632
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2000. Program makes assessing competence easier.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11066632/
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CONTEXT: Participation in proficiency testing is required under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. Although the primary purpose of this testing is evaluation of current laboratory performance, a major secondary benefit of such testing is postulated to be progressive improvement in laboratory performance over time as laboratories learn from their previous experiences and feedback. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that a secondary result of proficiency testing is improvement over time of laboratory performance. DESIGN: The performance of participants in a large proficiency testing program (EXCEL), designed for clinic and office laboratories, on a specific problematic competence, the ability to differentiate group A streptococcus from group C streptococci, was monitored during a 6-year period (1996-2001) for changes in participant performance. INTERVENTIONS: With each testing cycle, feedback on performance relative to peers and an educational discussion analyzing performance and suggesting best practices was submitted to participants. RESULTS: Despite consistent feedback, there was no significant change in participant performance throughout the period studied. CONCLUSIONS: In a large, stable proficiency testing program, a significant throat culture competence, which demonstrated less than optimal performance, did not improve over time, suggesting that current utilization of proficiency testing results in laboratory improvement programs is suboptimal.
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