ACCREDITATION STATUS:

Accredited UKAS 7872

CLINICAL APPLICATION:

Chorionic Villus testing.

PURPOSE OF PROGRAMME:

to establish the cytogenetic analytical and interpretative capabilities of the participating laboratory specific to CVS.

ANALYTES:

PROGRAMME OF ANALYSIS:

G-banded images and other tests (e.g. FISH) are presented for analysis together with a referral card and additional clinical information to mimic a routine diagnostic case. Instructions and a user guide are available on the website. Images can be downloaded from the website and imported into your image analysis system. The participant analyses the images, interprets the results and reports via the CEQAS website. The EQA is open for 5 weeks. Results can be entered at any time during this period.

DATA ANALYSIS:

All EQA cases are validated prior to release. Results are assessed by a panel of experts against set marking criteria based upon professional guidelines. There are three marking categories, Analytical, Interpretation and Clerical Accuracy. Each category carries two points. Deductions are made in accordance with the severity of the omission. A “critical error” is an error made in either the analytical or interpretive category that could lead to serious clinical consequences or imply a significa

PERFORMANCE SCORING:

Satisfactory/Poor. A non-submission is also given a poor performance.

PERFORMANCE MONITORING:

Yes

PERSISTENT POOR PERFORMANCE:

This is defined as: a) Two poor performances in any constitutional cytogenetic EQA in which the laboratory participates, over three or more distributions of material, within a 36 month rolling period; b) A poor performance within one year following a previous persistent poor performance designation.