Analyser Monitoring Programme: a valuable resource for UK laboratories

The Analyser Monitoring Programme (AMP) has been running for four years and has provided UK laboratories with free, up-to-date and objective information about the reliability of laboratory instruments and about company responsiveness. Laboratories have used the information not only in the procurement of new general biochemistry and immunoassay analysers but also in quality management. The scheme has also benefited the suppliers of laboratory instruments by providing them with comprehensive data on faults encountered in busy working laboratories.

Currently, AMP is funded by the Centre for Evidence-based Purchasing (CEP), which provides independent and objective evidence-based information on medical equipment to underpin purchasing decisions and drive the uptake of innovative medical technologies in the NHS. The CEP website (www.pasa.nhs.uk/cep) includes further information about the work undertaken for the NHS. The AMP is managed by the Guildford Medical device Evaluation Centre (GMEC), led by consultant biochemist Stephen Halloran.

How the programme works
The information gathered by participating laboratories is very similar to that required by Good Laboratory Practice and Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) standards. Participating laboratories are provided with analyser-specific log sheets on which they record information about any event that causes one or more analytes to become unavailable for 15 minutes or more. The incidents include instrument or reagent problems, preventative maintenance visits and system upgrades. Details of engineer visits are also recorded on the log sheets. The information is returned to GMEC at monthly intervals to be processed and collated.