The effectiveness of a quality assurance program for clinical laboratories of the Bureau of Public Health in Taiwan
Journal
Tzu Chi Medical Journal
Journal Volume
11
Journal Issue
3
Pages
263-270
Date Issued
1999
Author(s)
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the quality of clinical laboratory assessments and to promote quality assurance (QA) in the fields of clinical hematology, clinical chemistry and urinalysis. Materials and Methods: The National Health Administration, Taiwan ROC, assigned the execution of a QA survey program for clinical laboratories of the Bureau of Public Health in Taiwan to the Association of Laboratory Medicine from July 1997 to June 1998. A total of 211 clinical laboratories were included in the program. A meeting was held to help the directors understand the principles, methods and techniques of guidance. Two symposiums for continuing education on QA were held before the proficiency testing. Results: The response rates for proficiency testing for urine chemical tests, urine HCG pregnancy test, clinical hematology and clinical chemistry were 73.0%, 60.2%, 56.9% and 85.3%, respectively. The criteria for acceptance for urine chemical tests, urine HCG pregnancy test, clinical hematology and clinical chemistry were all set as a score above 80 and the acceptable rates in these fields were 92.2%, 95.2%, 55.9% and 66.7%, respectively. Due to wide distribution of data, the results of urine sediment tests were not evaluated. The scores for proficiency testing for clinical hematology were poor. Scores below 60 were recorded in 30.8% of clinical laboratories. Proficiency testing scores for clinical chemistry were also poor. The acceptable rates for cholesterol and urea nitrogen were only 43.0% and 53.9%. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the level of QA in urine sediment tests, clinical hematology and clinical chemistry must be improved immediately. Laboratories with poor QA performance need to identify problems quickly and enhance technical training to improve their quality. A QA program may be used to assess laboratories' ability to perform tests competently. Therefore, it will be worthwhile to continue proficiency testing schemes and reeducation.
Subjects
Acceptable rate; Continuing education; Proficiency testing; Quality assurance
SDGs
Other Subjects
chorionic gonadotropin; article; clinical chemistry; continuing education; hematology; human; laboratory; performance; pregnancy test; public health; quality control; Taiwan; training; urinalysis; urine sediment
Type
journal article