Quality improvement program to assure the delivery of pathology test results: a systemic intervention in a large general hospital.

A late or missed notification of pathology results could be disastrous for the patient as well as for the medical staff and the institution involved. In this article, the authors describe a systemic intervention implemented and led by nurses to enhance the safety and the efficiency of the notification process. The two-fold intervention includes patient and medical staff education along with developing and implementing a computerized alert system throughout the hospital by a multidisciplinary team. The measurable outcomes were the rate of patient notification and the percentage of physicians reading the pathologist's report through the computerized system. Theses two outcomes improved significantly after the intervention. This study demonstrates how nurses can play a major role in both patient and staff education and with performing organizational chance to strengthen patient safety.