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Internal quality control as the means of determining measurement uncertainty

The next in this series of articles on individual aspects of the assessment of uncertainty of measurement sees Stephen MacDonald consider the role of internal quality control, the most commonly used method, and provides some examples in straightforward assays.

In this the fourth in our series of articles we approach the most commonly used method to determine measurement uncertainty (MU) in pathology laboratories. In the next and fifth article we will approach the less simple assays, but for now will focus on imprecision as the determinant of our MU. The theoretical implications of the different methods will be discussed later. The assumptions made in this article are that:

This is a convenient conclusion to arrive at but not one that should be taken lightly. In doing so we are excluding a wide range of contributory factors that may influence our result (eg interanalyser variability, reproducibility, cross site comparability). If our measurand is being measured in a single assay system (analyser etc) at a single site we can justifiably use only IQC for that assay.

All laboratories run IQC to monitor the performance of their assays. Be it on a daily, per run or per sample basis, IQC provides us with valuable information about how our assays are performing. Laboratories are accustomed to setting performance limits for their assays so they can reliably provide patient results.

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Upcoming Events

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Participants’ Meeting: UK NEQAS Immunology, Immunochemistry & Allergy

Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield
24th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

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