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Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is the overarching term used to describe the activities employed to ensure the proper performance of a system. These activities can be classified into three categories: quality control, quality assessment, and internal corrective measures. Typically, these activities work cyclically: quality control is performed before and during the analysis, while quality assessment occurs during and after the investigation. Internal corrective measures are implemented based on the findings...

Quality Control

Quality Control

Quality control is one of the three cyclical quality assurance activities that help keep a system under statistical control. Typical quality control activities include creating quality control charts, conducting proficiency testing, and documenting and archiving results.
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In Vitro Drug Release Testing: Overview, Development and Validation

In Vitro Drug Release Testing: Overview, Development and Validation

In vitro dissolution and drug release tests assess how quickly and how much of a drug is released from its dosage form into an aqueous medium under standardized laboratory conditions. These tests are essential tools in pharmaceutical development and quality assurance, offering insight into the drug's performance before clinical use.During formulation development, dissolution testing identifies incomplete or inconsistent drug release issues. It also supports decisions on selecting the optimal...

Testing Water Quality

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Quality of Water

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning

Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning

Published on: August 29, 2025

Proficiency testing/external quality assessment: current challenges and future directions.

W Greg Miller¹, Graham R D Jones, Gary L Horowitz

¹Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA gmiller@vcu.edu

Clinical Chemistry

|October 4, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Proficiency testing (PT), or external quality assessment (EQA), verifies laboratory result quality. Commutable samples are crucial for accurate interpretation and assessing standardization among measurement procedures.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 28, 2026

Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning

Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning

Published on: August 29, 2025

Area of Science:

Clinical Laboratory Science
Analytical Chemistry
Quality Management in Healthcare

Background:

Proficiency testing (PT), also known as external quality assessment (EQA), is essential for verifying laboratory result quality for patient care.
Interpreting PT/EQA results hinges on sample commutability and target value assignment processes.
Commutable samples exhibit consistent relationships across different measurement procedures, mirroring patient sample behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the importance of sample commutability in proficiency testing (PT) and external quality assessment (EQA).
To explain how commutable and noncommutable samples impact the interpretation of laboratory results.
To underscore the role of PT/EQA in assessing laboratory performance and standardization.

Main Methods:

Review of principles governing the interpretation of PT/EQA results.
Analysis of the impact of sample matrix on measurement procedure bias.
Comparison of evaluation strategies for commutable versus noncommutable PT/EQA samples.

Main Results:

Noncommutable PT/EQA samples can introduce matrix-related bias, complicating result interpretation.
Commutable samples allow for accuracy assessment against reference methods and reflect inter-method agreement for patient samples.
Noncommutable samples necessitate peer group comparison to validate measurement procedure conformance.

Conclusions:

PT/EQA offers significant value in laboratory medicine by assessing individual laboratory performance.
The use of commutable samples in PT/EQA is vital for evaluating the standardization and harmonization of measurement procedures.
Effective PT/EQA programs contribute to reliable and high-quality patient care through rigorous quality assessment.