Behind the scenes of EQA–characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA): Part IV – Benefits for participant laboratories
Christoph Buchta, Barbara De la Salle, Rachel Marrington, Stéphanie Albarède, Tony Badrick, Wolfgang Bicker, Andreas Bietenbeck, David Bullock, Vincent Delatour, Elisabeth Dequeker, Mira Flasch, Wolf‐Jochen Geilenkeuser, Jaap J. van Hellemond, Jim F. Huggett, Viktoriia Ianovska, Patricia Kaiser, Martin Kammel, Anja Keßler, Nele Laudus, Peter B. Luppa, Pierre-Alain Morandi, Gavin O’Connor, Mauro Panteghini, Paola Pezzati, Jennifer Rosendahl, Sverre Sandberg, Heinrich Scheiblauer, Milan Skitek, Michael Spannagl, Anne Stavelin, Marc Thelen, Ursula Unterberger, Heinz Zeichhardt, Veronica Restelli, Lucy A. Perrone
Abstract
Abstract The main stakeholders in external quality assessment (EQA) programs are the participants, in whose interests these challenges are ultimately organised. EQA schemes in the medical field contribute to improving the quality of patient care by evaluating the analytical and diagnostic quality of laboratory and point-of-care tests (POCT) by independent third parties and, if necessary, pointing out erroneous measurement results and analytical or diagnostic improvement potential. Other benefits include the option of using EQA samples for other important laboratory procedures, such as the verification or validation of in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MDs), a contribution to the estimation of measurement uncertainty, a means of training and educating laboratory staff through educational EQA programmes or samples, or even for independent and documented monitoring of staff competence, such as on samples with unusual or even exceptional characteristics. Participation in an EQA scheme for beneficiaries like medical, microbiological and histo- and molecular pathology laboratories, users of POCT and self-testing systems as well as National Metrology Institutes, calibration laboratories and reference laboratories that are dedicated to specific tasks and have particular expectations of the EQA scheme are presented here.