Measuring the Cost of Inefficient Use of Laboratory Resources: Ecuador

The Quality Assurance Project investigated strategies for increasing efficiency in hospital laboratory services, an area of hospital operations that is frequently identified as high cost. The study developed measurement methodologies for seven separate sources of economic waste in hospital laboratories (unneeded tests, unclaimed tests, resource use inefficiency, staffing inefficiency, expired reagents, poor quality control, and inefficient procurement) and tested them in three public hospitals in Ecuador (2003, 34 pages).

• HIV/AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Malaria
• Food and Nutrition

• Quality Improvement
• Health Systems Strengthening