Top 3 Tips: Reducing Variability and Improving Performance

Today's Clinical Lab asked three top experts for their top three tips:

What are your top 3 tips for reducing variability and improving performance?

Photo portrait of Duane Newton, PhD, D(ABMM), FIDSA

Duane Newton, PhD, D(ABMM), FIDSA, founder, DWN Consulting (dwnconsult.com) and scientific affairs consultant for Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

In my 20+ years of laboratory experience, I feel that the fundamental principles for reducing variability and enhancing laboratory performance remain steadfast:

Adhere to standardized procedures.
Uphold rigorous quality control for both assays and instruments.
Prioritize personnel training and competency assessments.

What's evolved over time is our access to advanced technology and software tools for process automation. The greater the degree of automation, the more consistent these processes become, guaranteeing sustained quality enhancement.

Martu Richards, marketing director for Atellica Instrument Acquisition, North America, Siemens Healthineers.

Consider these three key tools to reduce variability:

Quality control and calibration processing per industry guidelines to ensure instrument-to-instrument performance of reagents and to help eliminate operator-to-operator variability.
Lab evaluation studies of new reagent lots (e.g., precision, calibration verification, and reagent comparisons). These studies can also address processing differences between operators, in efficiency and accuracy of materials, and in how data is calculated.
System operation, which can vary when operators are trained by manufacturers vs in-house. By providing training tools of common tasks on instruments, manufacturers can help reduce errors and improve performance, regardless of skill level.

Photo portrait of Nancy Ross, MS, MT(ASCP), CQIA, CMQ/OE, CLC

Nancy Ross, MS, MT(ASCP), CQIA, CMQ/OE, CLC, laboratorian with 20+ years of experience and founder of Improov, a laboratory consulting company with a focus on quality and performance improvement.

Optimizing laboratory operations and reducing variability are essential for improving laboratory performance. My top three considerations include:

Training.
Robust quality management systems.
Effective communication.

Together, these three elements form a cohesive framework for achieving these goals: Training ensures that personnel are well-equipped and competent in their roles, while a quality management system establishes standards for consistent performance. Effective communication fosters engagement and collaboration among the lab team. When these considerations are diligently applied, laboratories can operate at their best, ensuring the highest standards of patient care.