Tools, Technologies and Training for Healthcare Laboratories

Biologic Variation and Desirable Specifications for QC, 2006 Update

Dr. Carmen Ricos and her colleagues have provided us with an update to their Biological Variation Database. New analytes have been added, figures have been updated and in some cases, corrected. This article summarizes all the changes made to the desirable specifications for total error, bias, and imprecision (derived from biological variation) for hundreds of analytes.

Multisite Validation that “Westgard Rules” are cost-efficient and effective

David Plaut, longtime friend and colleague of Dr. Westgard, recently collaborated on a multisite evaluation of the implementation of "Westgard Rules" in the laboratory. The poster, originally at the 2005 AACC conference, is now available in an expanded format online. And we thank David for it.

Quality Goal Index

Dr. David Parry of St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, provides us with data on Sigma metrics in two laboratories. Dr. Parry's innovation is a Quality Goal Index, a metric that can distinguish between precision and accuracy problems, as well as techniques to deal with calibrator lot changes.

Frequency of QC - Implications for Patient Safety

We're delighted to present this guest essay from Dr. Kent Dooley, an astute reader who has done serious thinking about what patient safety implies for quality control. If labs are serious about patient safety, should they be reducing how often they run controls?

Biological Variation and Desirable Specifications for QC, 2008 update

Dr. Carmen Ricos and her colleagues have provided us with the fifth edition of their Biological Variation Database. New analytes have been added, figures have been updated and in some cases, corrected. This article summarizes all the changes made to the desirable specifications for total error, bias, and imprecision (derived from biological variation) for hundreds of analytes.

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