These results imply that an examiner who lacks sufficient time for a prior art search tends to grant a patent and, consequently, a large workload decreases the quality of examinations by resulting in unqualified patents.
The aim of this survey was to obtain detailed information e.g. on quality of ultrasonography equipment and examiner's ultrasonography experience and qualification level.
As already mentioned, results from studies on congenital malformations suggest that the sensitivity of antenatal diagnosis is highly correlated with the type of medical institution, quality of the ultrasonography equipment and examiner's experience and qualification level [ 22- 28].
The factors were grouped into 7 major components of quality: study subjects, examiner characteristics, the reference standard used, palpatory test, study conditions, data analysis and presentation of results (see Table 2).
To identify care-related and maternal risk factors (e.g. ultrasonography experience and qualification level of examiner, type of medical institution, quality of ultrasonography equipment, maternal smoking) that are associated with an inadequate diagnosis and treatment of IUGR during pregnancy.
For example, in studies where independent examiners inspected quality of care in high- and low-risk-adjusted mortality hospitals, it was important to find out whether examiners were blind to whether they were visiting a high- or low-risk-adjusted mortality hospital.
To ensure standardization quality of the consultants, an inter-examiner agreement will be worked out at the start of the study.
To ensure standardization quality of the assessors, an inter-examiner agreement will be worked out at the start of the study.
Examiner (there were two possible examiners), household income, and quality of the home environment (HOME score) assessed at the time of the 8-year examination were also considered.
Method of haemoglobin measurement, type of examiner, continent, clinical setting (outpatients or inpatients) and quality score entered as covariates for most studies.
