EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT
Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM), The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) amongst many others.
Science at the foundation of our EQA
Science is the foundation of every single one of our accredited EQA programmes. Each programme has a steering committee run by external experts to ensure that our EQA services are delivered on a scientific basis. For example, the frequency of testing is always established to ensure it is clinically relevant and the EQA exercises are designed to be technically challenging. What’s the point otherwise? This means that we deliver excellent EQA – and if you have any questions, give us a call. We are always happy to talk things over and explain how we operate.
Diseases don’t recognise borders It’s become a common phrase in recent years that, ‘global problems need global solutions’. This has been our view for many years, hence our determination to work closely with laboratories around the world. The more data we gather, from laboratories in as many different countries as possible and from as many tests as is practical, the better we are positioned to deliver a comprehensive global picture. This is especially true when clinical trials are implemented that cover multiple countries, or for rare disease diagnosis, or to ensure monitoring of a pandemic – all very real examples of where global EQA is required.
Not only does our global data allow us to better support diagnostics, it enables us to better identify factors that can affect testing. Sometimes those factors can be very unusual and difficult to identify. An example of this would be a few years ago, where an air-conditioned environment affected a methodology and ultimately the test results produced. We knew it was a local issue as neighbouring laboratories had no issues. By working with the laboratory remotely we were able to identify the root cause and support them with correcting it.
The above is also an example of why the UK NEQAS team has become
The more data gathered by UK NEQAS, from laboratories around the world, the better it can deliver a comprehensive global picture.
expert in different laboratory conditions and logistics. The staff at UK NEQAS includes not just scientific expertise but logistical experts, who successfully ensure correct sample storage for materials in transit and have determined new ways to deliver samples to laboratories around the world, ensuring that the same quality samples arrive at laboratories in Sheffield, Auckland or Zimbabwe – even after days in transit.
Proud of our unique EQA programmes
Our unparalleled position working with global data and laboratories worldwide delivers statistical benefits unavailable from anywhere else. It allows us to lead the development of new EQA programmes at the cutting edge of diagnostic medicine. We have come a long way from when disorders were diagnosed by eye, with little or no diagnostic support. The molecular-level methodologies now available allow testing with very low levels of disease present, so our EQA programmes have developed to reflect this. All, ultimately, for the benefit of patients. Yes, we are unashamedly proud of
Our role is to improve global diagnostics testing and we do this through quality assessment and education. Why? Because everything we do is for the benefit of patients
WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM MAY 2024
our EQA programmes. So proud that we want to share our expertise and findings widely so that collaboratively, every laboratory, every centre, every clinician, and every scientist and scientific organisation can work for the benefitof patients. It is imperative that we work this way to support healthcare, combat future pandemics, and diagnose and work to overcome now globally prevalent diseases.
At the end of the day, exceptional EQA is good for everyone. Everyone working in healthcare would agree that patients deserve the same high quality diagnostic testing whether they are in Glasgow or in Penzance (or Afghanistan, or Brazil, or China…), and UK NEQAS is keen to ensure that is the case. Education + quality assessments = better patient outcomes.
About UK NEQAS
UK NEQAS is a charitable consortium of external quality assessment providers. It aims to improve patient care through monitoring the quality of tests and their reporting, in an independent manner and on a not-for-profit basis. The primary role of UK NEQAS is educational. It is committed to supporting a culture of continuous quality improvement within UK NEQAS and among its partners and participants. UK NEQAS provides an appropriate, responsive and high standard of EQA to clinical laboratories.
+44 (0)114 261 1689
centraloffice@ukneqas.org www.ukneqas.org.uk
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