Our Outputs
Draft 'Safe Practice' Guidance
A main output was gaining expert consensus on safe practice standards for results handling at the UK and wider European levels. However this is very much a pilot version and work is ongoing to make this information more accessible for frontline general practices.
In the meantime, the key messages contained within the guidance statements should still be of interest to GP clinicians and managers, who could use aspects of it as a ‘checklist’ for their own results handling systems.
You can download the Checklist guidance here
Safe System Audit
A basic audit/checklist process was developed and pilot tested by practice managers to monitor system safety and highlight areas for improvement.
View the short report here:
Colleagues in Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde are currently further developing, testing and refining this approach.
Journal Publications
Bowie P, Forrest E, Price J, Halley L, Cunningham D, Kelly M, McKay J. Expert consensus on safe laboratory test ordering and results management systems in European primary care. European Journal of General Practice (In Press)
Earlier report can be downloaded here:
Cunningham D, McNab D, Bowie P. Quality and safety issues highlighted by patients in the handling of laboratory test results: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research 2014; 14: 206
Open Access download: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4048051/
Bowie P, Halley L & McKay J. Laboratory test ordering and results management systems: a qualitative study of safety risks identified by administrators in general practice. BMJ Open 2014: 6; 4(2):e004245.
Open Access download: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/2/e004245.full
Bowie P, Ferguson J, Price J, Frigola E, Kosiek K, Verstappen W, McKay J. Measuring system safety for laboratory test ordering and results management in primary care: an international pilot study. (Unpublished)
Earlier report can be downloaded here:
Report of a Human Factors Analysis
A participatory design based human factors study involving GP managers and administrators was carried out by Eleanor Forrest, Human Factors Consultant, from BrightHF (http://www.brighthf.co.uk/) and can be downloaded here:
