Role of external quality assurance schemes in assessing and improving quality in medical laboratories.
Medical laboratories have a long tradition of external quality assessment. Starting from pure quality control of laboratory performances, most external quality schemes in Europe evolved into a powerful tool for improving quality of clinical outcome of results. External quality assurance in medical laboratories not only includes laboratory performance evaluation, but also evaluation of method performance, post-market vigilance, training and help. In the future, the quality of programmes will further be improved by accreditation of schemes international collaboration and by using IT applications.
Libeer
J C
JC
Clinical Biology Department, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium. jean-claude.libeer@iph.fgov.be
D000068:Accreditation; D002624:Chemistry, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D006405:Hematology / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D008829:Microbiology / Q000592:standards; D010336:Pathology / Q000592:standards; D010380:Peer Review; D011358:Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care