Basic QC Practices
Is our QC asleep at the wheel? QC and driving share many of the same characteristics - it's a task we do constantly, one that most of the time is safe and, frankly, can be boring. But in both cases, we need to maintain our vigilance against the danger of an accident or mistake.
Non-commutable controls, matrix effects, non-harmonized methods, consensus means, artificially wide manufacturer ranges, repeated controls, lot-to-lot variation. How many ways can the implementation of quality control can be compromised? The answer might depress you.
To repeat or not to repeat, that seems to be the eternal QC question for the laboratory. We can all recognize the theoretical problem with repeating the control, but in practice, most laboratories exhibit this kind of behavior. Dr. Westgard discusses why some QC problems persist, and what approaches to deal with them are best.
Those who don't learn from the past are condemned to repeat it. That saying is as applicable to QC practices as it is to the lessons of history. At the 2011 AACC/ASCLS convention, Dr. Westgard reviewed the history of quality control in laboratories, as well as its present problems and possible futures.
In 2011, David Housley, Principal Biochemist of the Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and his colleagues prepared an audit of the Internal QC (IQC) practices in laboratories across the United Kingdom. They have graciously agreed to share the results of this audit.