The French national system for external quality assessment

Building upon the experience of professional organizations, which began in the 1970s, the French National Health Laboratory organized a national interlaboratory programme 10 years ago. Four thousand eight hundred laboratories are enrolled in this external quality control programme, which is compulsory for all clinical laboratories and is financed by a fee covering all expenses. Results are strictly anonymous and the programme is basically informative and educational. More than 20 surveys are conducted each year with four in haematology. During the last 10 years, the national programme has documented improved laboratory performances. The evaluations have had an impact on the instrument and reagents marketplace. Finally, it has helped the Ministry of Health to more efficiently manage the problems of laboratory medicine in France.