Laboratory external quality assessment is more than simple participation in an EQA scheme, as the following case study illustrates. Here, Nikki Emodi and colleagues also consider the limitations inherent in methodology.
The UK NEQAS Haematology Abnormal Haemoglobins (AH) programme is designed to assess the performance and interpretation of non-molecular detection techniques in screening and diagnostic testing for the haemoglobinopathies using liquid blood specimens. Participants analyse blood specimens from adult ‘patients’ by the methods and are expected to give a presumptive identification of any haemoglobin variant present, and to quantitate HbA2, HbF and HbS (if present).
The testing methods in use are predominantly high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Specimen 1806AH3 was from a carrier of a delta (δ)-globin chain carrier, distributed to 332 participating laboratories.
Case study
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