New criteria for proficiency assessment of clinical laboratories by interlaboratory comparisons

Abstract

The participation of clinical laboratories in proficiency testing programs is an essential tool for quality management. Using a database provided by an accredited proficiency testing provider, this paper compares the performance of criteria in the assessment of proficiency of participant laboratories for measuring glucose. The analysis considered not only commonly used approaches but also newly proposed performance scores that are independent of the consensus effect, based solely on parameters associated with the assigned value defined by the reference material. The observed discrepancies in the performance rating of laboratories, according to the evaluation criteria employed, allowed the evidencing of inadequacies in the classifications based on scores using parameters affected by the consensus among participants. The present work allowed a better understanding about the impact of criteria applied in proficiency testing programs on the adequacy of evaluation of laboratories’ performance, thus contributing to ensure the reliability of clinical diagnostics and therapeutic procedures.