Behind the scenes of EQA-characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

The main stakeholders in external quality assessment (EQA) programs are the participants, in whose interests these challenges are ultimately organised. EQA schemes in the medical field contribute to improving the quality of patient care by evaluating the analytical and diagnostic quality of laboratory and point-of-care tests (POCT) by independent third parties and, if necessary, pointing out erroneous measurement results and analytical or diagnostic improvement potential. Other benefits include the option of using EQA samples for other important laboratory procedures, such as the verification or validation of diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MDs), a contribution to the estimation of measurement uncertainty, a means of training and educating laboratory staff through educational EQA programmes or samples, or even for independent and documented monitoring of staff competence, such as on samples with unusual or even exceptional characteristics.

Behind the scenes of EQA - characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

External quality assessment (EQA) cycles are the smallest complete units within EQA programs that laboratories can use to obtain external assessments of their performance. In each cycle, several samples are distributed to the laboratories registered for participation, and ideally, EQA programs not only cover the examination procedures but also the pre- and post-examination procedures. The properties and concentration range of measurands in individual samples are selected with regard to the intended challenge for the participants so that each sample fulfils its purpose.

Behind the scenes of EQA - characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

Providers of external quality assessment (EQA) programs evaluate data or information obtained and reported by participant laboratories using their routine procedures to examine properties or measurands in samples provided for this purpose. EQA samples must offer participants an equal chance to obtain accurate results, while being designed to provide results in clinically relevant ranges. It is the responsibility of the EQA provider to meet the necessary requirements for homogeneity, stability and some other properties of the EQA items in order to offer participants a fair, reliable and technically interesting EQA experience.

[Position paper of DGKL and DIVI on requirements for laboratory services in intensive care and emergency medicine].

Background And Objectives: The timely determination and evaluation of laboratory parameters in patients with acute life- or organ-threatening diseases and disease states in the emergency room or intensive care units can be essential for diagnosis, initiation of therapy, and outcome. The aim of the position paper is to define the time requirements for the provision of laboratory results in emergency and intensive care medicine. Requirements for point-of-care testing (POCT) and the (central) laboratory can be derived from the urgency.

Evaluation of a host-protein signature score for differentiating between bacterial and viral infections: real-life evidence from a German tertiary hospital.

Purpose: A host-protein signature score, consisting of serum-concentrations of C-reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, and interferon gamma-induced protein 10, was validated for distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections as an antimicrobial stewardship measure for routine clinical practice among adult patients in a German tertiary hospital.

Methods: This single-centre, explorative study prospectively assessed the host-protein signature score, comparing it with serum procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with blood stream infections (BSI) and evaluating its efficacy in patients with viral infections against the standard of care (SOC) to assess the need for antibiotics due to suspected bacterial super/coinfection. Manufacturer-specified threshold scores were used to differentiate viral (< 35) and bacterial (> 65) infections.