Proficiency testing and ring trials

Proficiency testing matters.

Far too many laboratories consider proficiency testing just a necessary evil, little more than periodic pass–fail exercises we perform solely to meet regulatory requirements. In addition, too many of us belittle point-ofcare (POC) testing as a passing fad, a technology so inferior to what we use in our own laboratories that it hardly warrants our attention. Clearly, a report that combines these...

National Association for Proficiency Testing

These suggestions are as follows: 1) Regular use of certified reference materials and/or internal quality control using secondary reference materials 2) Participation in interlaboratory comparison or proficiency testing programs 3) Replicate tests or calibrations using the same or different methods 4) Retesting or recalibration of retained items 5) Correlation of results for different character...

Serum iron and proficiency testing: a dilemma.

We present and discuss observations regarding the results of the serum iron determination as seen in various surveys. The reference method proved to score different in our hands judging on the performance in the Dutch and German quality assessment schemes. Furthermore, it is clear and frustrating that these scores, representing the most accurate results, are becoming more and more labeled "out ...

Proficiency testing, matrix effects, and method evaluation.

Proficiency testing in a medical-needs context.

Proficiency testing by State and Federal agencies is an ongoing activity of clinical laboratories and an occasional source of anxiety; strict statistical evaluations of "snapshot" laboratory values are inappropriate and medical-needs criteria should be used. The quality of laboratory results largely depends on available technology. Fortunately, for most of the common clinical chemistry analytes...