Consensus and accuracy in haematology laboratories of developing countries: the Jordanian experience

A study lasting for 18 months using interlaboratory surveys was carried out to assess the analytical quality of Jordanian haematology laboratories that represent one of the developing countries. The study surveyed 50 laboratories constituting the majority of clinical laboratories in the central region of Jordan using 15 control specimens of whole fresh blood and eight freshly prepared blood smears. The study covered the routine haematological parameters of PCV, Hb, RBC, WBC and differential white blood cell count. More than 97% of Jordanian laboratories using cell counters achieved the medically useful criteria for analytical performance, this figure was reduced to 84% in laboratories using manual methods. Jordanian laboratories, however, were far from achieving the analytical goals that have been proposed based on intraindividual biological variation. This study stressed the need for a national EQA scheme in haematology, to reach a common level of standardization.