Latest News and Developments

Scheme Redevelopment

The Keele University Benchmarking Service conducted a major review of the service at the end of 2012, which has led to our recent re-branding and a significant development of the service.  This year, in response to the feedback we received from the surveys we sent out to all NHS Pathology departments in the UK, we have made the questionnaires much shorter, quicker to complete, and more user-friendly.  We have focused only on the key information required by our participants, and will be able to provide additional and higher quality analysis on these areas for the final reports.

In addition, we are also offering a significant discount in the cost of subscription compared with last year.  We hope to encourage more laboratories to take part, thereby creating a more robust database.

Improvements to Analysis Tools

Data analysis tools are being made available to participants in addition to the authored summary reports, providing them with the ability to create custom charts with custom filters (e.g. only display labs of a similar size to their own). 

In addition to the fully-loaded pivot tables and charts, ‘quick analysis’ sheet and summary dashboard included in last year’s tools, this year’s newly re-developed analysis tools will also offer a full range of ready-made layouts for each category, which feature one-click options to quickly customise the report to your needs.  These will allow beginner-level users to get instant access to the data they require without having to use the pivot tables and charts.

Primary Care Benchmarking Project

We recently held a workshop in Birmingham to discuss progress made in the primary care benchmarking project which provided some invaluable feedback as we look to drive this project forward in 2013.  

2012 proved to be a successful year in the ongoing development of the project, and led to the publication of a paper around appropriate use of HbA1c testing for the treatment of diabetes in the American Clinical Chemistry Journal (led by Dr Owen Driskell and Professor Tony Fryer).  We are currently working on further research in this area and are extending our work to other comorbidities.

Recruitment to the Scheme

We are now taking subscriptions for the 2012-2013 data collection. If you are interested in joining the scheme please either download for subscription form or email your details to Gill Trigg (g.s.trigg@keele.ac.uk) who will send you the appropriate information and forms to complete. 

 

 

Subscription Form Download

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Keele University Benchmarking Service 2012/13 Data Collection Subscription Form