Quality Assurance in Laboratory Hematology

Background: The clinical laboratory is central to patient care, contributing critical diagnostic information to nearly ۸۰% of medical decisions. Quality assurance (QA) in laboratory operations is vital to the accuracy, precision and validity of the results obtained. Over the last five decades, external quality assessment (EQA) schemes have greatly enhanced laboratory reliability through follow up of anomalies in results. Materials and Methods: The QA measures are internal (IQA) and external quality assessment (EQA), where IQA is concerned with the day-to-day consistency of the results and the latter with the comparison of the results with the external reference values. Results: The focus is therefore laid on the possible sources of preanalytical errors such as clotted or hemolyzed samples which account for the majority of laboratory errors. This article also discusses other QA measures including the Six Sigma method, Levey-Jennings chart, and internal controls for hematology analyzers. Additionally, it discusses the role of personnel, following international standards like ISO ۱۵۱۸۹, and comparing results between laboratories and instruments. Conclusion: These techniques lead to the development of better clinical laboratory practices and enhanced patient care.

Keywords:

Quality assurance , Internal Quality control , External Quality assessment , Laboratory hematology