The IFCC recommendation on estimation of reference intervals. The RefVal program.

Area of Science:

• Laboratory Medicine
• Clinical Chemistry
• Biostatistics

Background:

• The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) published guidelines on reference values in laboratory medicine.
• Six recommendations were published between 1987 and 1991, covering various aspects of reference values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the history and scope of the fifth IFCC recommendation on reference values.
• To detail the statistical methods for analyzing reference values and estimating reference intervals.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical IFCC recommendations.
• Description of statistical methods for reference value analysis.
• Introduction to the RefVal program for implementing recommended methods.

Main Results:

• The fifth IFCC recommendation focuses on statistical approaches for reference value determination.
• The RefVal program provides a practical implementation of these statistical methods.
• This review clarifies the methodologies and their application in clinical laboratories.

Conclusions:

• The fifth IFCC recommendation provides essential statistical tools for laboratory medicine.
• The RefVal program facilitates the accurate estimation of reference intervals.
• Understanding these methods is crucial for reliable interpretation of laboratory results.