Implementing laboratory internal audit to improve compliance and quality of care in the municipal public health system-based ambulatory care health clinics in New York city

Introduction: System-wide laboratory internal audits are useful to help laboratories prepare for external audits in addition to being part of the ongoing program for compliance improvement and quality assurance in the laboratory to track and enhance care quality.

Methods: A formal plan was developed and a modified audit checklist was prepared by our laboratory management team, applicable and uniquely tailored for our ambulatory care clinic settings to track operational, quality, and compliance metrics according to the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program. Two audits were conducted 6 months apart and the conformity documented.

Results: An overall 84% increase in compliance and conformity was observed between first and second audits, which ranged from 63% to 100% across different categories, with 100% improvement (0% nonconformity) in 75% of the sites in the second audit.

Conclusion: A system-wide laboratory internal audit was created and carried out. Staff shortages, rapid turnover, and lack of retraining were found to be contributing factors to sites that did not achieve 100% conformance. Continuous assessment and monitoring are key elements to success in the laboratory quality management system, and through this scheduled audit process, we were able to achieve continual laboratory quality improvement.