AAA published the new revised version of Accreditation Standards Handbook for Healthcare Facilities. The handbook includes a Chapter for Diagnostic Services, here is a summary of the chapter explaining the main outlines that should be implemented by the healthcare facilities:
Overview:
The healthcare facility provides laboratory and radiology services commensurate with its scope of services.
The laboratory and radiology services are provided by competent individuals who are well-qualified to provide the services.
The safety of both patients and staff is ensured while providing laboratory and radiology services.
Chapter Purpose:
- To provide laboratory and radiology services in compliance with applicable laws and regulations
- To ensure blood bank and transfusion services are commensurate with the existing laws and regulations.
- To ensure qualified individuals who have requisite training and experience, provide laboratory services, blood bank/transfusion services and radiology services.
- To ensure a process is in place for training staff in all diagnostic areas consistent with their specific job requirements.
- To ensure staff in laboratory and radiology are assessed for competency before allowed to work independently and annually thereafter.
- To ensure all specimens in the laboratory are transported and handled with care and due precision.
- To ensure laboratory and radiology safety programs are properly defined and implemented.
- To ensure risk assessment is carried out for laboratory and radiology and safety reports are issued at least biannually to the environment and facility safety committee.
- To ensure all staff in laboratory and radiology are trained in safety practices and hazards specific to their work environment.
- To ensure Quality control measures are identified, implemented, and documented for laboratory services, blood bank/transfusion services and radiology services.
- Outsourced services for laboratory and radiology are monitored to ensure that they meet the quality requirements and comply with laws and regulations and provide quality services in acceptable turnaround time.
- To ensure the healthcare facility defines the turnaround time for reporting of laboratory and radiology test results for routine and urgent test requirements.
- To ensure that all equipment used in the laboratory, radiology and blood bank are regularly inspected, maintained, and calibrated, to ensure that all equipment functions are functioning at acceptable levels and in a manner that is safe to the operator(s).