Some questions and answers on trends, "Westgard Rules", manufacturer ranges, significant figures, quality requirements, and more. It's a real grab bag.
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It is always good to challenge conventional wisdom. In revisiting the assumptions of the past, we sometimes find we have evolved beyond old practices and can adopt new ones. A recent series of questions posted on the AACC listserve deserves a broader audience.
Please Note: The Basic Method Validation manual is now in its FOURTH edition. The questions presented in this article are drawn from the first edition. Many of the answers here still apply, but some things, particularly on the regulatory side, have changed in the past 20 years.
In August 2021, the webinar, Sigma Stronger, covered the latest developments in quality benchmarking and updates to the design of QC procedures. After a lively question and answer session, all the questions that couldn't be answered live were saved for later reply. Here are all the questions and answers.
What happens when your QC is literally a straight line? What might be happening?
On July 12, 2021, the Westgards took part in the Quality in the Spotlight "Masterclass" on POCT testing and quality. The virtual masterclass generated so many questions that we couldn't answer all of them in the time given. Here are a few questions we answered later.
In this world of ever-increasing volume and ever-consolidating labs, there is a growing desire to "simplify" QC designs by using similar means and similar SDs for multiple methods, instruments, and laboratories. Is this really a good idea? What are the the benefits? What are the risks?
WESTGARD QC promotes the latest news, education, and tools in the quality control field. Our goal is to bring tools, technology and training into today's healthcare industry — by featuring QC lessons, QC case studies and frequent essays from leaders in the quality control area. This is also a reference source for quality requirements, including CLIA requirements for analytical quality. This website features the best explanation of the Multirule ("Westgard Rules") and how to use them. For laboratory and healthcare professionals looking for educational and reference material in the quality control field.
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