How to conduct External Quality Assessment Schemes for the pre-analytical phase?

In laboratory medicine, several studies have described the most frequent errors in the different phases of the total testing process, and a large proportion of these errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Schemes for registration of errors and subsequent feedback to the participants have been conducted for decades concerning the analytical phase by External Quality Assessment (EQA) organizations operating in most countries. The aim of the paper is to present an overview of different types of EQA schemes for the pre-analytical phase, and give examples of some existing schemes. So far, very few EQA organizations have focused on the pre-analytical phase, and most EQA organizations do not offer pre-analytical EQA schemes (EQAS). It is more difficult to perform and standardize pre-analytical EQAS and also, accreditation bodies do not ask the laboratories for results from such schemes. However, some ongoing EQA programs for the pre-analytical phase do exist, and some examples are given in this paper. The methods used can be divided into three different types; collecting information about pre-analytical laboratory procedures, circulating real samples to collect information about interferences that might affect the measurement procedure, or register actual laboratory errors and relate these to quality indicators. These three types have different focus and different challenges regarding implementation, and a combination of the three is probably necessary to be able to detect and monitor the wide range of errors occurring in the pre-analytical phase.     

GUEST EDITORIAL

The purpose of this column is to keep religious educators abreast of relevant research in psychology. It is prepared as a service by the staff of the Union College Character Research Project.

Each section includes names and reference numbers for findings which have been reported in PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS during 1959, used by permission. A complete reference list may be obtained from the Character Research Project, Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., by request, the numbers in parenthesis in the following article refer to items in this reference list     

Demand for and productivity analysis of Turkish public theater

We estimate a demand function for live theater provided by the General Directorate of State Theaters in Turkey. We show that demand is more elastic in less developed cities, that attendance is not significantly affected by various qualitative variables, and that the government's practice of offering free passes to government officials is an ineffective way of increasing paid attendance. Comedies and musicals both show significantly higher attendance. Having a Turkish author does not significantly affect attendance. Having a known author significantly increases attendance for more developed cities but not for less developed cities. Being the opening season significantly reduces attendance in less developed cities but has no effect in more developed cities. We also present evidence of inefficiency in state theaters in Turkey through a performance of plays equation in which we evaluate the determinants of the number of performances per play.     

The Western Primary School 'Quiet Room' Project

There has been a great deal of interest recently in the development of more 'nurturing' environments in mainstream primary schools. This interest has been reflected in a series of articles published in the pages of this journal. In this paper, Angus King, headteacher of Western Primary School, a performance management consultant, a threshold assessor and a teacher trainer, with Zara Chantler, Key Stage 1 leader and SENCo at Western, describe the Western 'Quiet Room' project, set up in 1999 as a response to the needs of pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural problems. The Quiet Room was designed to provide a nurturing environment in a dedicated space away from the classroom. In this way, argue King and Chantler, a child's emotional needs can be explored, on a one–to–one basis where appropriate, in a safe and supportive setting. The results to date are positive and there is real potential for the scheme to be extended.