Measuring and Improving Productivity in the Clinical Laboratory
Continuing Education Credits
The course is a good tool to introduce new managers to measures of productivity in the laboratory. It describes how culture, management, people, equipment, automation, process control, environment, and materials management affect productivity. The course provides ways to measure productivity as well as some strategies to measure and improve productivity.
Objectives
- List the major factors affecting productivity in the diagnostic laboratory.
- Describe how people and culture are important to productivity.
- Describe how automation and equipment can improve productivity.
- Describe how materials management and environment are important to productivity.
- Describe the role of management in productivity and useful steps they can follow to improve productivity.
- Explain the importance of process control in productivity.
- Describe ways to measure productivity.
- Utilize the cause and effect diagram (Fishbone Diagram) to solve problems in productivity.
- Utilize the cause and effect diagram (Fishbone Diagram) to solve problems in productivity.
- Utilize the cause and effect diagram (Fishbone Diagram) to solve problems in productivity.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Understanding the Challenges
- Definition
- Which of the following is not a factor affecting productivity?
- People
- Building Culture
- True or False: Improving productivity is best accomplished with strict oversight of the individual workers by management.
- Automation and Equipment
- Automation and Equipment
- One example of a benefit of improved automation in the laboratory is:
- Materials Management and Environment
- Material Inventory Management
- Materials management may be enhanced by using which of the following?
- Laboratory Environment
- The laboratory environment does not include:
- Management
- Management
- Which of the following is not considered a challenging task for enhancing productivity in the diagnostic laboratory?
- Process Control
- Process Control
- In the laboratory, process control includes all of the following, except:
- Measuring Productivity
- Measuring Productivity Through Benchmarking
- True or False: RPRT went down, and CPRT stayed the same during the previous month. A change was noted in the payee fee schedule, which means productivity has not changed.
- Problem-Solving with the Cause and Effect Diagram (Fishbone Diagram)
- Solving Problems in Productivity using Fishbone Analysis
- In problem-solving, a fishbone analysis tool may be referred to as all of the following, except:
- How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram
- Case Study Example Utilizing Fishbone Analysis
- Problem Statement
- Categorization
- Contributing Factors
- Deeper Possible Causes
- Possible Solutions
- In the previous example fishbone diagram, the step for determining possible solutions to the defined problem led the team to determine what solution/outcome?
- Strategies for Improving Productivity
- Strategies for Improving Productivity
- True or False: To become effective and efficient, one must rely on management to provide direction.
- Summary
- Summary
- In addition to a good laboratory workplace culture, environment, and workflow arrangement, it is important to:
- References
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory managers. This course is also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Dr. A. Wayne Bruce has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Medical Technology and a Doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration and Statistics from the University of Minnesota. He has served as Director of a MLS Program for 25 years and as Laboratory Director and Technical Consultant for over 35 years. He most recently was Associate Dean at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Dr. Bruce was the President of Bruce North Country Consulting Services LLC and consulted with clinical laboratories on laboratory finance, start-up, management, and accreditation. He has numerous publications, including a book on quality assurance for the clinical Laboratory and a financial management manual for the Thompson Publishing Group.
The author has no
conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewer Information:
Laurie Bjerklie, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, is
a Lead Education Developer. She earned a B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science
from the University of North Dakota and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction
from Saint Xavier University. She has over 15 years of experience in higher
education and has held program director and faculty positions in both MLT and
MLS programs.
Dr. Julie Ann West is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and as a Specialist in Microbiology (SM). In addition, Dr. West has earned a Ph.D. in Public Health - Infectious Disease Epidemiology - and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. West is experienced as a Technical Specialist, Safety Officer, Educator, and Lead in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System and has prior experience as an Administrative Laboratory Director.
Course Description: This course is a good tool for introducing new managers to measures of productivity in the laboratory. It describes how culture, management, people, equipment, automation, process control, environment, and materials management affect productivity. The course provides ways to measure productivity and some strategies to measure and improve productivity.