Who’s Good? Who’s bad? The importance of lab-based proficiency tests.
Oscar G. Cabrices, Ph.D.
Analytical Chemist | Entrepreneur | US Coast Guard Officer |
Hello, friends and colleagues in laboratories around the world!
I have been itching to write a brief article on quality management and my views on the topic, so here I go.
The ISO/IEC 17025 norm is designed to enable laboratories around the world to show that they operate competently and generate valid results all the time.
So how do labs stay “17025 accredited”?
The answer: Ring Tests or also known as proficiency or interlaboratory testing. Typically a reference institute sends identical samples to different laboratories by which the samples must be analyzed for a specific target.
Who’s good? Who’s bad?
Concerning the evaluation of labs performance in ring tests, the most often applied criteria is comparability, where the application of a “z-score” model is used. ?I certainly believe that the more laboratories involved in a proficiency test allow for a much better representation of the results generated. ?But the question that I pose is: how often does a lab need to participate to be good enough with its product?
In my humble opinion: A laboratory that is constantly performing these tests, enables the production of a robust and reliable product. The product may be an ELISA Testing kit or it can be a comprehensive report. ?
I define a “Great Laboratory” to be that organization which constantly challenges its own quality system to yield the best product possible for its customer knowing that it can have life-changing decisions for everyone.
Until the next one,
OGC
May 2022
Retired
2 年I remember stories about labs with their PT analyst ie best analyst always used for PT rounds… True? I would not possibly comment.,,
Analytical Group Manager at Schreiber Foods
2 年Fully agree that more frequent participation in ring tests is desired! The tricky part is ensuring the uncertainty of the assigned value is acceptable and meets ISO standards. This is especially true for those items that don’t have a generally agreed upon value such as a NIST sample.
Analytical/Bioanalytical (in lab) - Team/Group/Lab Lead - Project/Study Director PMP - Automation Lead enhancing productivity & have done all 3 in one role. Also accomplished in Quality Assurance clean ups.
2 年A Z-score of +/-2 is not a high bar. I would be aiming significantly tighter than that... ...with my own credibility on the line...
Bringing Your Science to Life, Trusted Expert Insights
2 年Excellent discussion Oscar, for without a benchmark reference, do we really know???