Training and proficiency of physicians' office personnel with a new diagnostic test for theophylline

A new technology, enzyme immunochromatography, permits the quantitative measurement of therapeutic drug levels without the need for an instrument. The simplicity of this technology enables office personnel with minimal training to perform measurements of therapeutic drug concentrations in samples of whole blood within 20 minutes. A training program for office personnel was developed that could be given entirely by telephone. Records of the trainings were kept and subsequently analyzed. A follow-up study consisting of six proficiency sample mailings was done to determine the ability of the trained personnel to perform the test accurately. Additional data on split-sample analyses performed by physicians' office personnel were collected. The data indicate that the telephone training method was satisfactory for initial training, and that acceptable test performance continued over time by office personnel who had completed the training program.