Laboratory policies and practices for thyroid function tests in Croatia: survey on behalf of Working Group for Laboratory Endocrinology of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine

IntroductionLaboratory plays important part in screening, diagnosis, and management of thyroid disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate current laboratory preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical practices and policies in Croatia.Materials and methodsWorking Group for Laboratory Endocrinology of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine designed a questionnaire with 27 questions and statements regarding practices and protocols in measuring thyroid function tests. The survey was sent to 111 medical biochemistry laboratories participating in external quality assurance scheme for thyroid hormones organized by Croatian Centre for Quality Assessment in Laboratory Medicine. Data is presented as absolute numbers and proportions.ResultsFifty-three participants returned the questionnaire. Response rate varied depending on question, yielding a total survey response rate of 46-48%. All respondents perform thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). From all other thyroid tests, most performed is free thyroxine (37/53) and least TSH-stimulating immunoglobulin (1/53). Laboratories are using nine different immunoassay methods. One tenth of laboratories is verifying manufacturer’s declared limit of quantification for TSH and one third is verifying implemented reference intervals for all performed tests. Most of laboratories (91%) adopt the manufacturer’s reference interval for adult population. Reference intervals for TSH are reported with different percentiles (90, 95 or 99 percentiles).ConclusionThis survey showed current practices and policies in Croatian laboratories regarding thyroid testing. The results identified some critical spots and will serve as a foundation in creating national guidelines in order to harmonize laboratory procedures in thyroid testing in Croatia.     

探寻“黑暗的天使”:惊恐障碍大学生完美主义的心理特征及形成机制

文章旨在揭示惊恐障碍个体完美主义的心理特征、主要影响以及形成机制,为心理干预惊恐障碍提供新的思路和启发。为了深入细致地回答研究问题,研究采用质性研究的方法,选取1名临床诊断的惊恐障碍高完美主义大学生作为研究对象,进行深入的访谈,主要采用类属分析法深入剖析惊恐障碍大学生的完美主义特征及成因。