title: Comparing the power of quality-control rules to detect persistent increases in random error.
abstract: This paper continues an investigation into the merits of an alternative approach to the statistical evaluation of quality-control rules. In this report, computer simulation is used to evaluate and compare quality-control rules designed to detect increases in within-run or between-run imprecision. When out-of-control conditions are evaluated in terms of their impact on total analytical imprecision, the error detection ability of a rule depends on the relative magnitudes of the between-run and within-run error components under stable operating conditions. A recently proposed rule based on the F-test, designed to detect increases in between-run imprecision, is shown to have relatively poor performance characteristics. Additionally, several issues are examined that have been difficult to address with the traditional evaluation approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Parvin
mesh_terms: D002624:Chemistry, Clinical / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D011336:Probability; D011786:Quality Control