Abstract:

Proficiency testing (PT) [external quality assessment (EQA)] in laboratory medicine is an important method for the quality assurance of clinical laboratories. By comparing the results with other laboratories, the laboratories can find out and correct the problems in their works, and take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of the problems. With the development of medical science and technology, in order to meet the needs of the clinical diagnosis and treatment of diseases, there are higher requirements for laboratory testing capacities. As PT providers, continuous improvement evaluation strategy will have an important impact on the quality of laboratory testing. In recent years, ISO/IEC17043:2010 the Accreditation Criteria for Proficiency Testing Providers in laboratory medicine has gradually been focused and practiced preliminarily. In this paper, we summarize the 6 papers published in this PT special topic. It is hoped that through establishing the quality system of PT providers, with the quality assurance for laboratory testing, the harmonization and standardization of laboratory results can also be promoted.

Key words: Proficiency testing, Trueness-based proficiency testing, Accreditation criterion