Abstract
A common problem associated with the implementation of point-of-care testing programs involves getting nurse analysts to comply with the regulatory requirements for laboratory testing. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the performance level of nurse analysts who had been trained by nurse educators, and nurse analysts who had been trained by laboratory educators, relative to the performance and documentation of quality control for point-of-care testing. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a separate sample (counterbalance) design. The study included nine nursing units in one hospital, representing a total of 262 registered nurses who were performing dipstick urinalysis for patient care. Performance and documentation of quality control for dipstick urinalysis was monitored for a period of 16 months. Compliance statistics were collected for nursing units that had been trained to perform dipstick urinalysis by nurse educators, followed by training to perform dipstick urinalysis by laboratory educators. Compliance statistics were then collected six months after the training had been conducted. Finally, compliance statistics for nursing units trained by nurse educators were compared with compliance statistics for nursing units trained by laboratory educators using the t-test. This study found that nurse analysts performed significantly better when trained by laboratory educators. Nursing units that had been trained by laboratory educators had significantly better compliance statistics for the performance and documentation of quality control for dipstick urinalysis than did nursing units that had been trained by nurse educators. The results of this study clearly indicate that nurse analyst compliance can be significantly improved if they are trained by laboratory educators. One of the important factors for improving compliance with the regulatory requirements is adequate and appropriate training. For institutions with point-of-care testing programs, it is recommended that the training of nurse analysts be conducted by laboratory educators and that the training include an introduction to quality control. It is also recommended that remedial training be conducted for units with poor compliance. Lastly, it is recommended that testing privileges should be removed from noncompliant nursing units.