Optimizing moving average control procedures for small-volume laboratories: can it be done?

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Laboratory Medicine
• Quality Control

Background:

• Moving average (MA) involves averaging patient results for analytical quality control.
• This study investigates optimizing MA procedures for laboratories with limited daily testing volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a bias detection simulation method for selecting, optimizing, and validating MA procedures.
• To determine if MA procedures can be tailored for laboratories with small daily testing volumes.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed patient results for creatinine, potassium, sodium, and albumin over six months.
• Utilized MA Generator software to test various MA procedures, including inclusion criteria, formulas, batch sizes, and weighting factors.
• Selected optimal MA procedures based on their ability to detect simulated biases, followed by validation.

Main Results:

• Simple MA procedures without truncation limits were optimal for albumin and sodium.
• Exponentially weighted MA procedures with specific truncation limits were optimal for creatinine and potassium.

Conclusions:

• The bias detection simulation method is effective for selecting, optimizing, and validating MA procedures.
• Appropriate MA procedures can be successfully defined for laboratories with small daily testing volumes.