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Ceriotti F, Cobbaert C. Harmonization of External Quality Assessment Schemes and their role - clinical chemistry and beyond. Clin Chem Lab Med 2019; 56:1587-1590. [PMID: 29715181 DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2018-0265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The article tries to reply to the following three questions: Are External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) really fit for purpose? Are all schemes equivalent and sufficiently harmonized? Is the role of EQAS similar and necessary in all branches of laboratory medicine? Although the reply to the first two questions is, unfortunately, negative for several reasons (lack of commutable material with reference method values, EQAS with different scopes, etc.), the reply to the third one is positive: EQAS are a necessary source of information on trueness and accuracy and must be fully developed for all the branches of the clinical laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferruccio Ceriotti
- Clinical Laboratory, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 28, Milan 20122, Italy, Phone: +390255032876, Fax: +3902255032219
| | - Christa Cobbaert
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Ricós C, Perich C, Boned B, González-Lao E, Diaz-Garzón J, Ventura M, Bullich S, Corte Z, Minchinela J, Marques F, Simón M, Alvarez V, García-Lario JV, Fernández-Fernández P, Fernández-Calle P. Standardization in laboratory medicine: Two years' experience from category 1 EQA programs in Spain. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2018; 29:010701. [PMID: 30591811 PMCID: PMC6294154 DOI: 10.11613/bm.2019.010701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Standardization is the ability to obtain interchangeable results leading to same medical interpretation. External quality assessment (EQA) is the main support of the on-going harmonization initiatives. Aim of study was to evaluate results obtained from two years category 1 EQA program experience in Spain and determine the impact of applying this type of EQA program on the analytical standardization. Materials and methods According to the analytical method, traceability and instrument different groups were established which results were evaluated by calculating mean, coefficient of variation and percent of deviation to the reference value. Analytical performance specifications used to the results' evaluation were derived from biological variation for bias and from the inter-laboratory coefficients of variation found in a previous pilot study. Results Only creatinine measured by enzymatic methods gave excellent results, although few laboratories used this method. Creatine kinase and GGT gave good precision and bias in all, but one instrument studied. For the remaining analytes (ALT, ALP, AST, bilirubin, calcium, chloride, glucose, magnesium, potassium, sodium, total protein and urate) some improvement is still necessary to achieve satisfactory standardization in our setting. Conclusions The two years of category 1 EQA program experience in Spain have manifested a lack of standardization of 17 most frequent biochemistry tests used in our laboratories. The impact of the information obtained on the lack of standardization is to recommend abandoning methods such as ALT, AST without exogenous pyridoxal phosphate, Jaffe method for creatinine, and do not use non-commutable calibrators, such as aqueous solutions for calcium and sodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Ricós
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Perich
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Clinical Laboratory Department, Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Boned
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Aragonese Health Service, Royo Villanova Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Elisabet González-Lao
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Quality Healthcare Consulting, ACMS Group, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Diaz-Garzón
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Sandra Bullich
- External Quality Assurance Programs, SEQCML, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zoraida Corte
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Clinical Analysis Service, Hospital San Agustin, Aviles, Principality of Asturias, Spain
| | - Joana Minchinela
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Metropolitana Nord Unified Laboratory (LUMN), Germans Trias I Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain
| | - Fernando Marques
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Margarita Simón
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Intercomarcal laboratory consortiums of Alt Penedès, Anoia and Garraf, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Virtudes Alvarez
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José-Vicente García-Lario
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,Clinical Laboratory, Hospital Campus de la Salud, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Pilar Fernández-Calle
- Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML), Analytical Quality Commission, Barcelona, Spain.,La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
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