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Quality assurance programs in the United States

N S Lawson1

  • 1Department of Pathology, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Annali Dell'Istituto Superiore Di Sanita
|January 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) offers comprehensive quality assurance programs for clinical laboratories. A combination of measures, including external quality assessment and proficiency testing, best evaluates laboratory performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Laboratory Medicine
  • Clinical Pathology
  • Quality Management in Healthcare

Background:

  • Clinical laboratories require robust quality assurance (QA) for accurate diagnostics.
  • The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a key provider of QA programs for laboratories.
  • Existing QA programs include proficiency testing, external quality assessment, and accreditation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline the scope and components of CAP's quality assurance programs.
  • To emphasize the importance of multifaceted evaluation for clinical laboratory performance.
  • To highlight the role of CAP's programs in meeting laboratory quality standards.

Main Methods:

  • Description of CAP's quality assurance programs: surveys for external quality assessment (EQA), internal/regional quality control, and Q-probes.
  • Inclusion of laboratory accreditation and standards programs.
  • Mention of expert resource committees and joint sponsorships with other professional societies.

Main Results:

  • CAP surveys are the most utilized proficiency testing (PT) programs in the United States.
  • Proficiency testing (PT) alone provides an incomplete assessment of laboratory performance.
  • CAP's comprehensive approach integrates EQA, quality control, pre- and post-analytic monitoring, and inspections.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical laboratory performance is best evaluated through a combination of QA measures.
  • CAP provides a wide array of tools for ensuring and assessing laboratory quality.
  • Integrated QA strategies are essential for reliable clinical laboratory services.

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