Background: Skin prick/puncture testing (SPT) is widely accepted as a safe, dependable, convenient, and cost-effective procedure to detect allergen-specific IgE sensitivity. It is, however, prone to influence by a variety of factors that may significantly alter test outcomes, affect the accuracy of diagnosis, and the effectiveness of subsequent immunotherapy regimens. Proficiency in SPT adminis...

The history and origins of proficiency testing of clinical laboratories are reviewed. Since the introduction of proficiency testing in the late 1940s, dramatic improvement in laboratory performance has been demonstrated. Nonetheless, the poor performance found two decades earlier was summoned to support the passage of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1967 (CLIA '67).

The history and development of the proficiency testing programs of the College of American Pathologists are reviewed. Important considerations of external surveys include target value assignment and determination of acceptable ranges. "Blind" proficiency testing and on-site evaluation provide alternative methods of laboratory evaluation but are limited by practical logistics.

this study used proficiency as an effective personal resource on work engagement according to the job demand-resource model of bakker and demerouti (2008). this was a descriptive and cross-sectional survey. the sample includes 395 employees from four public organizations selected randomly. descriptive statistic was used to examine the demographic variables and inferential statistical such as in...

BACKGROUND From 2003 to 2005, the European Union supported the EQUAL-initiative to develop methodological external quality assessment (EQA) schemes for genotyping (EQUALqual), quantitative PCR (EQUALquant), and sequencing (EQUALseq). As a relevant part of the EQUALseq program, a training course was held subsequent to the first EQA Program (EQAP1). The success of this course was reassessed in a ...

Laboratories offering a quality service for the microbiological examination of food must implement a quality assurance system. An effective system should, in addition to daily quality control of procedures, consumables, and equipment, include external laboratory accreditation to a recognised standard, the use of validated test methods, and participation in an external quality assessment (profic...

BACKGROUND A proficiency testing scheme was set up for the DRUID (Driving under the influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines) research project, funded by the European Commission, in which oral fluid is analysed by eleven laboratories. A common collection and analysis methodology is used: Statsure Saliva Sampler is used for collection and LC-MS/MS or GC-MS confirmation analysis of 22 substances...

Thailand, the economic growth of which largely depends on agriculture-based industry, recognizes the importance of international standards for harmonization of international food trade and for protection of human health from chemicals used as food additives or those present as contaminants. Pesticides which are widely used in Thailand are the anticholinesterase pesticides, pyrethroids, coumarin...