Furness P N, Lauder I
Department of Pathology, Leicester Royal Infirmary.
J Clin Pathol. 1993 Apr;46(4):357-63. doi: 10.1136/jcp.46.4.357.
To develop a computerised method for analysing the results of histopathology external quality assessment (EQA) schemes which can provide confidential personal reports to individual participating pathologists.
A program was developed using the OMNIS database system, running on Apple Macintosh or IBM compatible computers.
The program produces a general report of participants' responses to each case, and a choice of two types of personal report. One of these provides a list of the participant's diagnoses with a list of the most popular (Consensus) diagnoses for comparison. The other provides automatically calculated scores for the pathologist's performance along with simple statistical evaluation. The scores can be calculated by comparison with the consensus of the group or with correct diagnoses if they are known. A histogram indicating the distribution of performance within the group can be produced. The program can accept uncertainty in the form of differential diagnosis lists from participants. Potentially dangerous diagnostic errors can be identified and handled separately. Participants are identified only by code numbers and confidentiality can easily be enforced. The program is currently being used in the national renal pathology EQA scheme and in the local general histopathology scheme in the East Midlands.
This program offers solutions to problems which have bedevilled the organisers of histopathology EQA schemes. It offers confidential advice to pathologists and will help to identify areas where an individual might benefit from continuing career grade medical education. It raises the possibility of the development of nationally agreed standards of performance in the reporting of pathological specimens, and it may be applicable to other specialties where textual reports are produced.
开发一种计算机化方法，用于分析组织病理学外部质量评估（EQA）计划的结果，该方法能够为参与的个体病理学家提供保密的个人报告。
使用运行于苹果麦金塔电脑或IBM兼容电脑上的OMNIS数据库系统开发了一个程序。
该程序生成参与者对每个病例的反应的综合报告，以及两种个人报告供选择。其中一种提供参与者诊断列表，并与最常见（共识）诊断列表进行比较。另一种提供为病理学家的表现自动计算的分数以及简单的统计评估。分数可以通过与小组共识比较或与已知的正确诊断比较来计算。可以生成一个显示小组内表现分布的直方图。该程序可以接受参与者以鉴别诊断列表形式表示的不确定性。潜在危险的诊断错误可以被识别并单独处理。参与者仅通过代码编号识别，保密性很容易得到保障。该程序目前正在全国肾脏病理学EQA计划以及东米德兰兹郡的地方普通组织病理学计划中使用。
该程序为困扰组织病理学EQA计划组织者的问题提供了解决方案。它为病理学家提供保密建议，并将有助于识别个体可能从继续职业等级医学教育中受益的领域。它增加了制定全国认可的病理标本报告表现标准的可能性，并且可能适用于生成文本报告的其他专业。
