Alodaini Amal A, Khan Nida M, Alkhunaizy Zahra F
Department of Pathology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pathology, Al-Mana General Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Community Med. 2025 Jul-Sep;32(3):246-254. doi: 10.4103/jfcm.jfcm_341_24. Epub 2025 Jul 14.
Laboratory management and quality improvement (LMQI) is a fundamental nondiagnostic skill for the daily practice of pathologists. Studies recognized a knowledge gap in LMQI in postgraduate training programs with non-uniform outcomes. Measurement of this gap and corrective curricula modifications was embraced by many postgraduate programs. Similar assessment of the LMQI knowledge status in Saudi anatomic pathology (AP) residents and graduates is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess Saudi AP residents' perceptions of LMQI concepts, and AP graduates' feedback on the usefulness of LMQI training for their practice as pathologists, and propose a revised LMQI curriculum.
A nonexperimental mixed-methods study was conducted between August 1 to August 31, 2020. An online questionnaire containing multiple-choice and closed-ended questions assessed LMQI learning experiences of AP residents and graduates. A comparative assessment of LMQI curricula was done between Saudi and international AP postgraduate programs as a benchmark. Descriptive statistics were computed to summarize the participants' demographic characteristics and the surveyed variables using SPSS.
A remarkable LMQI knowledge gap was noted at all residency levels, which was mirrored by the graduates' feedback of difficulties in LMQI issues they were encountering as junior pathologists. The LMQI curricula assessment in Saudi AP programs revealed that the objectives and evaluation methods were vague. A revised competency-driven longitudinal LMQI curriculum with clear expectations and evaluation methods is proposed.
LMQI as an objective has been translated differently in the current Saudi AP programs with limited experiential LMQI learning resulting in suboptimal and inhomogeneous outcomes. This requires a unified model with longitudinal, competency-based experiential training.
实验室管理与质量改进（LMQI）是病理学家日常实践中的一项基本非诊断技能。研究发现，研究生培训项目在LMQI方面存在知识差距，且结果参差不齐。许多研究生项目都采用了对这一差距的测量以及纠正性课程修改。沙特解剖病理学（AP）住院医师和毕业生在LMQI知识状况方面缺乏类似评估。本研究的目的是评估沙特AP住院医师对LMQI概念的认知，以及AP毕业生对LMQI培训在其病理学家实践中的有用性的反馈，并提出修订后的LMQI课程。
于2020年8月1日至8月31日进行了一项非实验性混合方法研究。一份包含多项选择题和封闭式问题的在线问卷评估了AP住院医师和毕业生的LMQI学习经历。以沙特和国际AP研究生项目之间的LMQI课程比较评估作为基准。使用SPSS计算描述性统计数据，以总结参与者的人口统计学特征和调查变量。
在所有住院医师级别都发现了显著的LMQI知识差距，毕业生反馈他们作为初级病理学家在LMQI问题上遇到困难也反映了这一点。沙特AP项目的LMQI课程评估显示，目标和评估方法模糊不清。提出了一个修订后的以能力为导向的纵向LMQI课程，具有明确的期望和评估方法。
在当前沙特AP项目中，LMQI作为一个目标的理解各不相同，有限的基于经验的LMQI学习导致了次优和不均匀的结果。这需要一个统一的模型，进行纵向的、基于能力的经验培训。
