Total Quality Management in Pathological Laboratories: An Overview with Emphasis on Need for Structured National Policy

The last decade has witnessed tremendous growth in healthcare sector. Pathological laboratories plays central role in decision making of clinicians to start proper procedure to cure disease or abnormality in patient. Continuous Total Quality management practice in pathological laboratories is mandatorily to be adopted in order to deliver error free services. It cannot be achieved simply through the control of accuracy in analytical testing phase alone. In analysis of Clinical specimen there are many possible pre analytical errors also. The quality system for pathological laboratories must include promotion of accuracy in analytical phase as well as quality assurance in the reliability of pre analytical and post analytical activities. Active monitoring and feedback control of all potential defects generated by laboratory personnel as well as non laboratory personnel is necessary part of quality improvement. In present study authors strongly recommends that Pathological laboratories should strive to produce high quality result to its customers by utilizing up to date scientifically proved methodology employing competent staff, monitoring process to control internal and external quality control and participation in external quality assurance assessment schemes.