Laboratory Accreditation the Next Generation of Quality Improvement in Thailand

Abstract

A Thailand quality assessment program called ìThe External Quality Assessment in Clinical Chemistry, EQAC" was found in 1986. A blind lyophilized control serum is monthly-cycle distributed to the participants and the returned test-report values are evaluated by a computed program. Evaluated report Mean Variance Index Scores (MVIS) and mean score of all tests are posted back to the participants. In 1999 the program was applied by 324 laboratory participants of which 59% of general hospital and community health hospital laboratory, 29% of private hospital laboratory including polyclinics, and 12% of the others. By now as many as 144 trials of 23 biochemistry tests at different methods were assessed from the EQAC program. Participant communication, knowledge update and enhanced quality encouragement have been managed by mean of participants' VIS from 120 to 93 during 1987-1998. For the next millennium, the implementation of ISO/IEC Guide 25 for quality system in clinical laboratory will be a promising strategy of quality improvement in Thailand. The Ministry of Public Health is step forward to adopt this guide for certifying standard laboratories. These efforts will be a first step towards the next generation of quality improvement for clinical laboratory in Thailand.