Overview of Proficiency Testing

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Overview of Proficiency Testing
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What is Proficiency Testing?
Proficiency testing comprises an interlaboratory
system for the regular testing of the accuracy
that the participant laboratories can achieve. In
its usual form, the organizers of the scheme
distribute portions of a homogeneous material to
each the participants, who analyze the material
under typical conditions and report the result to
the organizers. The organizers compile the
results and inform the participants of the
outcome, usually in the form of a score relating
to the accuracy of the result.
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Why is PT Important?
PT is important because it is a tool the
laboratory can use to verify the accuracy and
reliability of its testing. Routine reviews of PT
reports by the laboratory staff and director will
alert them to areas of testing that are not
performing as expected and also indicate subtle
shifts and trends that, over time, would affect
their patient results.
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Elements of Proficiency Testing

• The use of internal quality control
• The use of validated analytical methods
• The use of certified reference material
• Participation in proficiency testing shames
• Accreditation to an appropriate quality standard

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Procedures of Proficiency Testing

• Clinical Sections that are required to perform
  proficiency testing should establish procedures
  for testing survey samples / cases. The following
  general procedures should be followed
• Proficiency Survey samples are to be handled in
  the same manner as patient samples as much as
  possible.
• If accessioning survey cases in the Laboratory
  Information System is possible and is important
  for analysis on instrumentation, cases should be
  accessioned in Soft path.
• Proficiency samples should be tested in
  accordance with the associated instructions
  provided for each survey set.
• The laboratory should adhere or other survey
  vendor, provided testing instructions for each
  survey submitted for analysis. These instructions
  address proper specimen handling, storage,
  testing limitations or special instructions,
  reporting criteria, and instructions for
  submitting results.
• Testing should be completed by the providers
  due date. This is to ensure meeting grading
  criteria, but also to ensure specimen integrity.
• The immediately notified if there are any
  problems with the material or any issue that will
  delay testing or result reporting.

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Benefits of Proficiency Testing

• Comparison of a facilitys performance with that
  of other participating facilities
• Monitoring of a long-term facility performance
• Improvement in the performance of
  tests/calibrations following investigation and
  identification of the cause of unsatisfactory PT
  performance, and the introduction of corrective
  action to prevent re-occurrence
• Staff education, training and competence
  monitoring
• Evaluation of methods, including the
  establishment of method precision and accuracy
• Estimation of measurement uncertainty
• Contribution to the facilitys overall risk
  management system
• Confidence building with interested parties,
  e.g. customers, accreditation bodies, regulators,
  specifies

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Limitation of Proficiency Testing

• Proficiency testing has to be carried out within
  the context of a complete system for appropriate
  quality in each laboratory. It cannot be used a
  substitute for routine internal quality control.
  It is not a means of training individual
  analysts, or a way of validating analytical
  methods.
• Proficiency testing provides a participant
  laboratory only with an indication of problems if
  they are present. It does not provide any
  diagnostics to help solve the problem.
• Success in a proficiency test for one analyze
  does not indicate that a laboratory is equally
  competent in determining an unrelated analyze.

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Thank You
For more information about Proficiency Testing
and upcoming PT programs at GPTS, visit our
website
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Email Sales_at_Globalptservices.com
Ph. 91-79-2656 3240