RE: Quality-right first time?
From: | Terry.Marshall@rgh-tr.trent.nhs.uk |
Bob Richmond writes:
"You probably wouldn't get there ahead of me - if I get an unsatisfactory
slide, first thing I want to do is look at the paraffin block - since usually
I find that I'm the one responsible for the crappy result anyway. (Hey, gimme
a break, I've only been in this business for 38 years, still learning.)"
Ha ha - gotcha. This is the 'lad' who can slice fresh breast! Now were learning a thing or two:-))
however .....
"The small pathology services in which I do most of my locum tenens work are
usually desperately in need of quality assurance programs. It always
infuriates the many conscientious histotechnologists on Histonet when I say
this, but I'm going to say it again - most of the histotechs I work with
pride themselves on never looking at a slide. I've often wondered what I
would do to get around this problem. I think it requires a double-headed
microscope, with review of some slides by pathologist and histotechnologist
nearly every day. The focus should be on finding problems before they get
serious - the Edwards Deming approach to it, I fancy.
One thing we surgical pathologists need to understand is that our usual
response of "this slide's terrible, but what the hell, it's good enough to
sign the case out with" is part of the problem and not part of the solution."
Hear, hear. If only the end result of the tech. work was a result rather than a slide, and if only the results didn't in the main only require slides that are only 'good enough'.
Terry L Marshall
Histopathologi
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