Wednesday, November 15th at 1pm ET

Internal quality control is an integral process of laboratory testing. A clinical laboratory's coagulation quality control (QC) program is a critical component of its quality assessment program. The purpose of quality control in the laboratory is to detect, decrease, investigate, and help resolve deficiencies in a laboratory's internal analytical process prior to the release of patient results, to improve quality of the results reported. Analytical variables such as inappropriate reagent or instrument calibrations, inaccurately reconstituted reagents, and instrument-related instabilities can have a serious impact on testing and patient care. A key to reliable patient results and consistent laboratory processes is through understanding of laboratory performance assessment, how to practically troubleshoot QC, and how to apply a logical troubleshooting approach in coagulation. This presentation delves into the intricacies of maintaining and enhancing the quality control processes in coagulation assays.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the purpose of quality control procedures in coagulation, including its role in monitoring testing processes, error detection, and problem correction to ensure accurate and reliable test results

2. Explain the benefits of internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assurance (EQA) in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of coagulation test results

3. Evaluate scientific recommendations regarding analytical quality in coagulation testing

4. Design and implement quality improvement measures within the coagulation laboratory