Acute care/blood gas laboratories: profile of current operations.

A survey of acute care/blood gas laboratories was conducted through the memberships of the Society of Critical Care Medicine ( SCCM ) and the National Association of Medical Directors of Respiratory Care ( NAMDRC ). Data were obtained from 227 laboratories and analyzed for operational characteristics, personnel, analyses performed, and quality assurance procedures. Analyses included blood gases/pH, saturation, P50, oxygen content, hematocrit/hemoglobin concentration, as well as sodium, potassium, calcium, osmometry, and glucose. Application of appropriate quality control was uneven in terms of types and frequencies of procedures. Education of laboratory personnel ranged from high school to graduate degrees, with the greatest numbers having associate-level and baccalaureate-level educations . Certification of laboratory personnel primarily was through the National Board for Respiratory Therapy, although 36% of the personnel had no certification or registration. Aspects of the acute care laboratory identified as needing improvement are educational and certification requirements for laboratory personnel and application of quality control procedures. The database developed from this survey will serve for ongoing assimilation of information related to the operation of acute care laboratories.