[Results of the Proficiency Test for Diagnostic Testing of Notifiable Infectious Diseases]

When an infectious disease arises, prompt and accurate identification of the causative pathogen through diagnostic tests becomes crucial. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) operates a proficiency testing program for diagnostic tests of notifiable infectious diseases. This program is designed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of national infectious disease diagnostic tests. Proficiency tests evaluate the ability of participating institutions to conduct inspections using pre-established inspection criteria and trained inspectors. It also evaluates and verifies the inspection's accuracy using substances similar to the samples. At the beginning of each year, a proficiency test plan is established for diagnostic tests of infectious diseases, and evaluations are conducted accordingly. The notifiable infectious disease proficiency test conducted by the KDCA from April 2022 to the end of February 2023 consisted of a total of 30 programs and included 95 test methods for 79 infectious diseases. About 910 institutions participated in the evaluation, including 286 public and 630 private medical institutions. Public institutions operated the majority of the 30 programs. As a result of the proficiency tests, the average pass rate for all participating institutions was 98.3%. This pass rate was consistent for both public and private institutions, with each achieving a pass rate of 98.3%. The KDCA plans to continue its efforts to improve the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic tests by managing the quality of tests for infectious diseases through the operation of a notifiable infectious disease proficiency test.