Sweat Testing
ACCREDITATION STATUS:
UKAS Schedule of Accreditation - see Certificate of Accreditation
CLINICAL APPLICATION:
Assessment of sweat chloride and conductivity for diagnosing Cystic Fibrosis
PURPOSE OF PROGRAMME:
Assessment of analytical bias and its consistency across time
ANALYTES:
| Analyte | Default Unit |
|---|---|
| Chloride Interpretation | N, I or E |
| Conductivity Interpretation | N, I or E |
| Sweat Chloride | mmol/L |
| Sweat Conductivity | units |
| Sweat Sodium | mmol/L |
MATERIAL PROVIDED: Sterile water with or without exogenous added analyte
DISTRIBUTIONS PER YEAR: 11 (nominal)
SAMPLES PER DISTRIBUTION: 3
FREQUENCY OF DISTRIBUTION: Monthly
PROGRAMME OF ANALYSIS:
Results and Reports via Birmingham Quality UK NEQAS web service as per schedule
DATA ANALYSIS:
Method principle and method mean calculations with SDs, CVs and Uncertainties. Rolling time window scoring using the ABC of EQA system
PERFORMANCE SCORING:
The ABC of EQA
PERFORMANCE MONITORING:
Traffic light feedback to participants
PERSISTENT POOR PERFORMANCE:
Evaluated every month with persistent Poor Performers escalated to the appropriate NQAAP
Clinical Chemistry (Birmingham Quality)
The External Quality Assessment Scheme for Clinical Chemistry Birmingham was founded in 1969 by Professor Tom Whitehead at Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre, Birmingham. In 1969 the Service became known as the UK National External Quality Assessment Service for Clinical Chemistry Birmingham. UK NEQAS Birmingham is part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. For the most up-to-date scheme information (including any pilot schemes) please contact the centre directly.
Contact Details
- UK NEQAS Birmingham Quality
- Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre
- PO Box 3909
- Birmingham
- B15 2UE
Clinical Chemistry (Birmingham Quality)
- Telephone: +44 (0) 121 414 7300
- Email: birminghamquality@uhb.nhs.uk
- Web: https://birminghamquality.org.uk