an internet-based external quality assessment in cytogenetics that audits a laboratorys analytical and interpretative performance精选.pdfVIP

European Journal of Human Genetics (2008) 16, 1217–1224 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved 1018-4813/08 $32.00 /ejhg ARTICLE An Internet-based external quality assessment in cytogenetics that audits a laboratory’s analytical and interpretative performance ,1 2 1 1 Rosalind J Hastings* , Eddy J Maher , Bettina Quellhorst-Pawley and Rodney T Howell 1United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS) for Clinical Cytogenetics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; 2Cytogenetics Department, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK A novel approach to external quality assessment (EQA) using the Internet mimics the diagnostic situation so that multiple tests can be requested and EQA cases can be ‘tailor made’ to address a specific chromosome syndrome, disease, or clinical dilemma. The web-based EQA system was trialled on a large UK EQA scheme, UK NEQAS for Clinical Cytogenetics. It has also been used to implement a new Cytogenetics European Quality Assessment scheme, CEQA, set up with the intention of providing laboratories in countries without access to a local EQA scheme the opportunity of participation in EQA. Overall, Internet- based EQA allows for a varied EQA programme. Poor performance was detected in both CEQA and UK NEQAS constitutional EQA schemes and also in the UK NEQAS oncology EQA scheme. The Internet-based EQA overcomes submission delays due to international surface mail. There is also a reduction in administration and assessors’ time compared to a retrospective EQA involving the submission of unique cases for EQA assessment, as par