ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a Web-based education module in changing students' perceptions of laboratory science careers. DESIGN: Perception was measured with a short examination and then a Web-based exercise was presented. Following the exercise, the test was administered again. Frequency data from the pre-test and post-test were compared for changes in perception. The correlated pre-test/post-test pairs were also examined for opinion changes and these were analyzed for significance. SETTING: Large parochial high schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. A small team visited the schools during their appointed class times for biology. PARTICIPANTS: Study participants were high school biology students in grades 9-10. Two-hundred-forty-five students participated (149 male and 96 female). INTERVENTIONS: A Web-based exercise on blood film examination was presented to the students in a classroom setting (www.mclno.org/labpartners/index_03.htm). The exercise contained focused messages about: (1) the numbers of healthcare workers acquiring AIDS from on-the-job exposure and (2) common career paths available to the laboratory science workforce. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The shift in perception of: What medical service generates the most diagnostic data. Which professional group performs laboratory tests. The risk of acquiring AIDS while working in the healthcare setting. Interest in a science-related career. How much education is required to work in a science-related field. RESULTS: The intervention significantly shifted perception in all areas measured except that of interest in a science-related career. CONCLUSIONS: Many students perceive that the risk of acquiring AIDS while working in the healthcare setting is "high". Web-based presentations and similar partnerships with science teachers can change perceptions that might lead to increased interest in clinical laboratory science careers.
Subject(s)
Attitude , Career Choice , Computer-Assisted Instruction , Curriculum , Medical Laboratory Personnel/education , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Program Evaluation , Schools , Surveys and Questionnaires , TeachingABSTRACT
A Web-based resource enables staff to access to patient management information.
Subject(s)
Computers, Handheld , Decision Support Systems, Clinical , Information Dissemination , Publishing , Humans , Information Storage and Retrieval , Quality Assurance, Health CareABSTRACT
We noted that our competency assessment activities did not predict actual performance and, in questioning why, we discovered a world very similar to our experience in clinical testing. We found that, with careful attention to measurement design, we could detect incompetent performance and find improvement opportunities. This article explores several of the design principles on which one can build competency measurements. It also discusses the reasons why organizations should invest in this activity, which go beyond the most obvious reason--it is the right thing to do.
Subject(s)
Employee Performance Appraisal , Laboratories/organization & administration , Medical Laboratory Personnel/standards , Professional Competence , Humans , Organizational Policy , Quality Assurance, Health Care , United StatesABSTRACT
It's 11:30 PM on a Saturday night, and you just stuck yourself with a contaminated needle. Suddenly, you have a problem. You remember that you have to act fast and you need a form, and the source has to be tested, but the details are somehow lacking. Now what do you do and where do you go? Where are those forms that you need? And didn't that procedure change last year? Now imagine being able to get all your questions answered and finding your forms with a few clicks of a mouse....
Subject(s)
Health Personnel/education , Inservice Training/methods , Needlestick Injuries/prevention & control , Occupational Exposure/prevention & control , Blood-Borne Pathogens , Humans , Motivation , Safety ManagementABSTRACT
As important as rules are in health care, the authors explain why it is sometimes necessary to deviate from them to maximize patient outcomes. They then provide a framework for documenting, discussing, and teaching the importance of making exceptions and changing rules.
Subject(s)
Laboratories, Hospital/standards , Pathology Department, Hospital/standards , Problem Solving , Process Assessment, Health Care , Diagnostic Errors/prevention & control , Facility Regulation and Control , Humans , Louisiana , Organizational Objectives , Organizational Policy , Total Quality ManagementABSTRACT
As an attempt to improve accuracy in the grading of microcytes and macrocytes, a custom reticle was developed and evaluated. The evaluation looked at grading accuracy, reproducibility, speed, and opinion. In this study, the reticle improved the grading accuracy and reproducibility of graders who were "poorer performers." The reticle offered no advantage to the speed of the evaluation. The opinion survey indicated improved confidence with the reticle, and most of the participants found the device useful. The improvement to "poorer performers" is sufficient to warrant use in actual practice.
