Basic QC Practices

Here are the boring details of the Global QC Survey of 2021: how it was collected, and what biases and weaknesses it might reflect.

The 2021 Global QC Survey Results: The Fine Print

Sten Westgard, MS
December 2021

  [This survey was completed with the support and partnership of Technopath Clinical Diagnostics.]

• The Top Ten Findings of the 2021 Global QC Survey
• The 2021 Global QC Survey
• The 2021 US QC Survey Results
• The 2021 Asia QC Survey Results
• The 2021 Middle-East QC Survey Results
• The 2021 Latin and South America QC Survey Results
• The 2021 European QC Survey Results

How the Survey was conducted

 This online survey was conducted between April and November of 2021, through the surveymonkey website. The survey was announced and promoted through the Westgard.com website, the Westgard online newsletter, through Facebook and LinkedIn. Online ads were run on Facebook and LinkedIn. Technopath Clinical Diagnostics, sponsor partner of the survey, also announced the survey through their website and LinkedIn page.

Limitations

The survey data are subject to some biases common to online polling and voluntary polling. The respondents self- selected, and the respondents’ interest in quality and quality control as well as their desire to share thoughts may be higher than average and not completely reflective of the "average laboratory." With the survey promotion limited to the internet, specifically Facebook and LinkedIn, there is a narrower selection of respondents. For example, a lack of Chinese participation may be impacted by the lack of Facebook in behind the "great firewall." The survey was only available in English, another significant limiting factor. As with all surveys, the construction of the questions may reflect author biases and even their desired answers. While these biases are well known to survey research and not unique to this survey, conclusions drawn from the limited data cannot be interpreted as a completely accurate picture of global QC sentiment or practice.