Lessons learned from a sperm morphology quality control programme

Area of Science:

• Andrology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Quality Control in Diagnostics

Background:

• Sperm morphology assessment is crucial for predicting fertilization success but suffers from inter-observer variability.
• Subjective evaluation by laboratory technicians impacts the reliability of semen analysis reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of continuous external quality control and refresher training on sperm morphology reading skills.
• To determine the effectiveness of monitoring and retraining over 40 months.

Main Methods:

• Nineteen technicians from 12 laboratories participated in a quality control program with initial training.
• Quarterly monitoring and annual refresher courses were implemented for a subset of participants.
• Technician performance was assessed against a reference laboratory using +/- 0.5 SD and +/- 0.2 SD error limits.

Main Results:

• 78% of technicians maintained readings within +/- 0.5 SD limits after initial training and ongoing monitoring.
• Technicians attending annual refresher courses consistently achieved results within +/- 0.2 SD limits.
• Initial training combined with continuous quality control and refresher courses demonstrated sustained high-level performance.

Conclusions:

• Initial training and ongoing external quality control are essential for accurate sperm morphology assessment.
• Annual refresher courses further enhance and maintain high proficiency in morphology readings.
• Standardized training and quality assurance programs are vital for reliable andrology laboratory results.