Background and objectives: All three phases of laboratory testing are equally important for improving total quality management, but the pre-analytical phase is the most error-prone. This study aimed to determine the rate and reasons for blood sample rejection in the pre-analytical phase of laboratory testing in a referral hospital in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional...

Fibrinogen is essential for the formation of a fibrin clot. Acquired and congenital disorders of fibrinogen may result in decreased concentration or altered function of fibrinogen, often leading to an increased risk of bleeding. Routine coagulation testing and specialized laboratory investigations can guide diagnosis in patients suspected of having a fibrinogen abnormality. This article summari...

Laboratory tests are readily available for the diagnosis of HIV infection. These are based on the detection of HIV-specific antibodies and HIV p24 antigen in combination screening assays, followed by confirmation by Western blot. Managing established HIV infection, including the use of antiretroviral drugs, has been facilitated by the use of nucleic acid tests that measure HIV RNA load in plasm...

This review examines emerging technologies that are of potential use in the routine clinical pulmonary laboratory. These technologies include the following: the measurement of exercise tidal flow-volume (FV) loops plotted within the maximal FV envelope for assessment of ventilatory constraint during exercise; the use of negative expiratory pressures to asses expiratory flow limitation in variou...

OBJECTIVE To illustrate how laboratorians and pathologists must demonstrate accountability for efficiency (how well something is done), effectiveness (what is done), and cost-effectiveness (a proxy for value, in which value equals quality per cost). DATA SOURCES A literature search was conducted, including documents in the National Library of Medicine. STUDY SELECTION The literature on cost...

Applied user testing involves more usability evaluation methods than laboratory tests and is critically dependent upon a number of issues seldom treated in the literature. The development of the system described in this longitudinal, diary-based study evolved around five user tests: a laboratory test, a workshop test, and three field tests. The user tests had a substantial impact on the focus o...

Testing of large-scale specimens and models is currently possible in a few earthquake-engineering laboratories around the world. However, full-scale laboratory seismic testing of entire civil engineering structures (e.g., cable-stayed bridges, multi-story office buildings, industrial facilities, and pipeline distribution systems) is not likely in the near future due to the prohibitive costs ass...