Journal of Blood Disorders & Transfusion

Quality in laboratory testing for hemophilia patients

5^th World Hematologists Congress

August 18-19, 2016 London, UK

Richard O Francis

Columbia University Medical Center, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Blood Disord Transfus

Abstract:

The hemostasis laboratory plays an integral role in the care of hemophilia patients. From initial diagnosis, to monitoring therapeutic efficacy, to detecting the development of inhibitors during the course of therapy, the laboratory is involved. Therefore it is essential that the results generated by the hemostasis laboratory are reliable. While technical skill and expertise are paramount in performing hemostasis testing, the cornerstone of ensuring test accuracy and precision is having a comprehensive quality program. The important elements of the quality program will be described with demonstrations of how these elements impact the care of hemophilia patients. The pre-analytical phase of testing which includes sample collection, handling, transportation and preparation is a major source of error in the testing process. How these pre-analytical factors can impact test results as well as strategies for identifying and eliminating pre-analytical errors will be discussed using a case-based approach. Important in ensuring the quality of the testing that is performed once the sample reaches the hemostasis laboratory are internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assessment (EQA), to ensure that results are safe to use for patient management and provide information on the accuracy of results that are provided by the laboratory. The use of IQC and EQA in the hemostasis laboratory will be described and the value of their incorporation will be demonstrated through a case-based approach. Finally, measures for improving the overall quality of testing in the hemostasis laboratory will be discussed.

Biography :

Email: rof3@cumc.columbia.edu