Emerging concepts of quality assurance in clinical laboratories

Quality Assurance is a management system designed to achieve an acceptable level of quality services, prevent poor quality and in laboratories is intended to ensure reliability of results. It comprehensively includes controlling the quality of procedures at each and every step including Pre-analytical (specimen collection and transport), Analytical (specimen processing in the lab) and Post-analytical (reporting and interpretation of results). Concept of total quality management (TQM) is closely interlinked with good laboratory practices and goes far beyond the widely practiced conventional Quality Control (QC) procedures. TQM includes Technical accuracy and precision, equipment and supplies, staff training and skill, financial management (cost effectiveness), lab safety, communication etc. Recent pressures on pathology laboratories have meant that laboratories no longer have the numbers of scientists and pathologists they had in the past. This has resulted in more questions being asked of the QA staff with a steady increase in the number of scientists employed to address this demand. Quality improvement in the modern clinical laboratory environment entails the continuous inspection and refinement of processes to ensure the efficient delivery of services that meet the needs and expectations of those who use them.