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Quality Assessment in CytogeneticsQuality improvement note - send us information on how we can improve our service
External quality assessment is a vital part of quality assurance. It is mandatory for laboratories offering a particular service to submit to external review if an appropriate scheme exists.
External quality assessment is managed under the auspices of UKNEQAS (www.ukneqas.org.uk) which is a confederation of UK schemes including that for Clinical Cytogenetics (www.ccneqas.org.uk/). The UK external quality assessment scheme for clinical cytogenetics was established in 1982 and has the prime aim of improving the overall quality of laboratory services by example and education.
The Scheme aims to assess the overall quality of diagnostic analysis performed by a laboratory by a combination of retrospective audit and distribution of reference material or web-based EQA. It assesses tissue specific performance for Constitutional cases and for Haematological cases (acquired abnormalities).
Performance criteria have been divided into three broad inter-linked categories:
Technical performance
Slide quality. The banding quality of submitted slides is assessed.
Analytical performance
Scoring of the quality of individual laboratory analyses and description of ISCN either as a result of retrospective external audit of cases requested by the scheme and/or external assessment (the distribution of suitable reference material for proficiency testing).
Interpretative performance
Scoring of the quality of individual laboratory reports either as a result of retrospective external audit of cases by the scheme or by external assessment (web based EQA).
The scheme involves a rolling programme of submissions with a maximum of approximately 20 individual assessment rounds per year including Haematological samples, Solid tumours, Amniotic Fluids, Chorionic Villus biopsies, Bloods, Solid tissues, FISH and QF-PCR analyses.
2006-7 Performance
The following reports have been received and are summarised below. Copies of the full report can be obtained from the laboratory. From 2007 onwards laboratories will be given a performance rating of satisfactory or not satisfactory.
Haematological Scheme
CML reports submission: Analytical and Interpretative Performance
Satisfactory Performance
Constitutional Scheme
1. Solid tissue reports submission: Analytical and Interpretative Performance (2006)
Excellent Performance
2. Postnatal Bloods web based analysis: Analytical and Interpretative Performance
Satisfactory Performance
Prenatal scheme
Amniotic fluids : Analytical and Interpretative Performance (2006)
Excellent
CVS: Analytical and Interpretative Performance
Satisfactory