Model of implementing proficiency testing in Vietnam, a developing country.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Laboratory Medicine
• Quality Assurance

Background:

• Limited resources in developing countries pose challenges for quantitative external quality assessment (EQA) schemes.
• Accurate assigned values are crucial for effective EQA programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an effective approach for determining quantitative EQA scheme assigned values with limited resources.
• To evaluate the use of expert group consensus values for EQA in Vietnam.

Main Methods:

• Twelve lyophilized EQA items were distributed to 59 laboratories in Vietnam.
• Nine biochemical parameters were measured using automatic and semi-auto analyzers.
• Consensus values from an expert group and all participants were statistically compared.

Main Results:

• Consensus values differed between the expert group and all participants for six of nine parameters.
• The expert group exhibited significantly lower coefficients of variation for six parameters.
• Significant differences were observed for glucose, creatinine, cholesterol, uric acid, AST, and ALT.

Conclusions:

• Utilizing expert group consensus values as assigned values is a viable strategy for EQA in resource-limited settings.
• This approach can improve the quality of laboratory testing in developing countries.
• The findings are particularly relevant for Vietnam's healthcare system.