Journal:Quality control in the clinical biochemistry laboratory: A glance
| Full article title | Quality control in the clinical biochemistry laboratory: A glance |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Author(s) | Naphade, Manoj; Ankur, Panchbudhe S.; Rajendra, Shivkar R. |
| Author affiliation(s) | Kiran Medical College, Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital |
| Primary contact | drnmanoj at gmail dot com |
| Year published | 2023 |
| Volume and issue | 17(2) |
| Article # | BE01 - BE04 |
| DOI | 10.7860/JCDR/2023/58635.17447 |
| ISSN | 0973-709X |
| Distribution license | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International |
| Website | https://www.jcdr.net//article_fulltext.asp |
| Download | https://www.jcdr.net//articles/PDF/17447/58635_CE(AD)_F(IS)_PF1(AKA_SS)_PFA(SS)_PN(SS).pdf (PDF) |
 |
This article should be considered a work in progress and incomplete. Consider this article incomplete until this notice is removed. |
Abstract
Quality control (QC) is a process, designed to ensure reliable test results. It is part of overall laboratory quality management in terms of accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of reported test results. Two types of QC are exercised in clinical biochemistry: internal QC (IQC) and external quality assurance (QA). IQC represents the quality methods performed every day by laboratory personnel with the laboratory’s materials and equipment. It primarily checks the precision (i.e., repeatability or reproducibility) of the test method. External quality assurance service (EQAS) is performed periodically (i.e., every month, every two months, twice a year) by the laboratory personnel, who primarily are checking the accuracy of the laboratory’s analytical methods. Consequences of inaccurate results could be unnecessary treatment, treatment complications, failure to provide the proper treatment, delay in correct diagnosis, additional and unnecessary diagnostic testing, leading to increased healthcare costs (in terms of time and personnel effort) and often in poor patient outcomes. By running QC, a laboratory self-monitors its testing process and substantiates that the results produced are accurate and precise. The lab's quality management system (QMS), looking at every aspect of the laboratory from sample collection to result dispatch, is very important for achieving and maintaining good laboratory performance. A QC program allows the laboratory to differentiate between normal variation and error. This review article outlines the indispensable role of QC in the clinical biochemistry laboratory, which ensures patient satisfaction, ensures the credibility of the laboratory, generates confidence in laboratory results, and reduces unnecessary financial burden.
Keywords: accuracy, error, precision, quality control, quality management
Introduction
References
Notes
This presentation is faithful to the original, with changes to presentation, spelling, and grammar as needed. The PMCID and DOI were added when they were missing from the original reference. No other changes were made in accordance with the "NoDerivatives" portion of the content license.
