Quality Requirements
French EQA performance specifications
One of the leading EQA programs of France is ProBioQual. They have their own set of EQA acceptance limits, which include some copied from the "Ricos goals" but most of them set through analysis of their own participant performance. How do these specifications compare to CLIA and Ricos TEa?
French acceptance criteria for EQA participants (2016)
ProBioQual is one of the major EQA programs in France.
Below is a selection of the acceptance limits for ProBioQual.
| Analyte |
ProBioQual Acceptance Limits |
CLIA | 2014 Ricos Desirable TEa |
| Amylase | 15 | 30 | 14.6 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) | 12 | 30 | 12.04 |
| Albumin | 6 | 10 | 4.07 |
| Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) | 10 | 20 | 27.48 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) | 10 | 20 | 16.69 |
| Bilirubin (total) | 9 | ± 0.4 mg/dL or ± 20% (greater) | 26.94 |
| Bilirubin (direct) | 25 | 44.5 | |
| Calcium | 3.8 | ± 1.0 mg/dL | 2.55 |
| Chloride | 4 | 5 | 1.5 |
| Cholesterol | 6 | 10 | 9.01 |
| Creatinine kinase (CK) | 12 | 30 | 30.3 |
| Creatinine | 10 | ± 0.3 mg/dL or ± 15% (greater) | 8.87 |
| Ferritin | 16.9 | 16.9 | |
| γ-Glutamyl transferase (GGT) | 12 | 22.11 | |
| Glucose | 5.5 | ± 6 mg/dL or ± 10% (greater) | 6.96 |
| Immunogloblin G (IgG) | 8 | 25 | 8.0 |
| Immunogloblin M (IgM) | 12 | ± 3 SD | 16.8 |
| Iron | 10 | 20 | 30.7 |
| Lactate | 15 | 30.4 | |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) | 12 | 20 | 11.4 |
| Lipase | 15 | 37.88 | |
| Lithium | 10 | ± 0.3 mmol/L or ± 20% (greater) | |
| Magnesium | 7.2 | 25 | 4.8 |
| Phosphate | 6 | 10.11 | |
| Potassium | 4 | ± 0.5 mmol/L | 5.61 |
| Prealbumin | 14.5 | 14.5 | |
| Protein | 5 | 10.0 | 3.63 |
| Sodium | 2.5 | ± 4 mmol/L | 0.73 |
| Transferrin | 10 | 3.8 | |
| Triglycerides | 12 | 25 | 25.99 |
| Urate | 9 | 17 | 11.97 |
| Urea | 12 | ± 2 mg/dL or ± 9% (greater) | 15.55 |
These goals are unique among our recent survey. They are very difference from CLIA goals, often nearly half as small. Very stringent, sometimes even more stringent than what has been specified as the Ricos desirable total allowable error specification. It's unusual to see that an EQA program is demanding tighter performance than what may be possible due to individual biologic variation. That could be one reason why the Ricos goals are under revision right now; there are analytes where some people believe we need to be even more demanding about analytical performance.