The main purposes of external quality assessment schemes include:

• assessment of the general standard of performance ('state of the art')
• assessment of the effects of analytical procedures (method principle, instruments, reagents, calibration)
• assessment of individual laboratory performance

The overall objective is to help laboratories provide comparable and equivalent results on a national and international basis, and thereby to support reliable patient care.

The IEQAS for Clinical Chemistry was established in 1976 to support WHO programmes on multinational clinical trials and quality assurance in health laboratory technology. It is operated under the terms of reference of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Birmingham, UK. The present main objectives for WHO sponsorship are:

• to stimulate countries to establish a national EQAS
• to provide international links and support for established national EQASs

Therefore, WHO will normally sponsor participation by only one laboratory in each country, and this laboratory should have an agreed intention to initiate a national quality assurance programme; this may be a short or long term objective, depending on the country. Participation is open to other laboratories on a self-financing basis.

Briefly, the IEQAS for Clinical Chemistry operates as follows: every 6 months a set of 6 lyophilised serum specimens is sent to the 150 participants in the scheme. Laboratories each month reconstitute the appropriate specimen and perform assays for up to 16 organic, inorganic and enzyme constituents in the material and return their results to Birmingham. Computerised data analysis includes performance assessment using the Variance Index scoring system, using target values established from distribution of the same specimens in the UK. A structured report is then generated by the organising centre and returned to participants.

Participants have welcomed the facilities both to enter their results and to retrieve reports (in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format) using a secure web interface, and we are moving towards a 'paper free' service.

Please contact us by fax on +44 121 414 1179 or email clinchem@ieqas.org.uk if you wish to join or require further details about the Scheme.

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Mailing address: Birmingham Quality, PO Box 3909, BIRMINGHAM B15 2UE, U K
FAX: +44 121 414 1179; email: clinchem@ieqas.org.uk ; phone: +44 121 414 7300