Published in Viruses
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Virology Quality Assurance (VQA) established a robust proficiency testing program for Sanger sequencing (SS)-based HIV-1 drug resistance (HIVDR) testing in 2001. While many of the lessons learned during the development of such programs may also apply to next generation sequencing (NG...
Published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
Objectives Hepcidin measurement advances insights in pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of iron disorders, but requires analytically sound and standardized measurement procedures (MPs). Recent development of a two-level secondary reference material (sRM) for hepcidin assays allows worldwide standardization. However, no proficiency testing (P...
Published in Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine
Published in The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and development of coronavirus disease 2019 presents a major health care challenge of global dimensions. Laboratory diagnostics of infected patients, and the assessment of immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, presents a major cornerstone in handling the pandemic....
Published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
Objectives Chromogenic anti-activated factor X (FXa) assays are currently the “gold standard” for monitoring indirect anticoagulants. However, anti-FXa has been shown to vary according to the choice of reagents. In the present study, the performance of anti-FXa measurement was evaluated in order to gain more insight into the clinical applications. ...
Published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
Background It has been debated whether point-of care (POC) glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measurements methods can be used for diagnosing persons with diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analytical performance of the POC Afinion HbA1c system in the hands of the users, and to investigate which predictors that were associated wi...
Published in Journal of Laboratory Medicine
Background A pilot external quality assurance (EQA) survey for the free light chain (FLC) assay was developed and implemented in Korea. Methods Survey data over 6 years (2010–2015) were collected retrospectively and Sigma metrics were calculated for method-specific peer groups. Results Nineteen to 29 laboratories participated in the EQA survey, and...
Published in International journal of laboratory hematology
Coagulation laboratory external quality assurance (EQA) programs provide information that satisfies regulatory requirements and improves laboratory quality, patient care, and safety. In addition to the value to individual laboratories, data from EQA programs benefits the laboratory community in multiple ways by providing a snapshot of laboratory pr...
Background: It is suggested that new models of primary care should have better access to test results through the use of point-of-care testing (POCT). Objective: To determine whether quality management of POCT leads to better results. Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature on quality management of POCT in primary care, where the impact o...
Published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
Noklus is a non-profit quality improvement organization that focuses to improve all elements in the total testing process. The aim is to ensure that all medical laboratory examinations are ordered, performed and interpreted correctly and in accordance with the patients’ needs for investigation, treatment and follow-up. For 25 years, Noklus has focu...
