External quality assessment New
External quality assessment, from the provider's kit to the cycle certificate.
Organize proficiency testing rounds in the same account as your IQC: deadlines, results linked to internal control, traceable submission, the official evaluation and the handling of each unacceptable result.
- Templates for PNCQ and Controllab, adjustable to the contract
- Official evaluation with Dev%, deviation index and Z-score
- External quality pending actions by email, every day
In the laboratory routine
Several rounds, providers and deadlines at the same time
Each program has its own calendar, form and criteria. Keeping track of kits, submission deadlines, evaluation reports and nonconformities is simpler when everything is in one place and follows the actual order of the process.
-
The challenge
Deadlines from different programs
Clinical chemistry, hematology and immunology kits arrive on different dates, each with its own response deadline. A kit that did not arrive must be reported to the provider within the program's deadline.
In QualiChart
The pending actions panel gathers kits not received, upcoming and missed deadlines, results to check and evaluations to record. A daily email alerts the people who are allowed to act.
-
The challenge
Transcription to the provider's portal
The result goes from the instrument to the internal record and then to the provider's form, sometimes in another unit of measurement or with a different number of decimal places.
In QualiChart
The transcription sheet presents the values in the provider's unit and format. Each submission keeps a copy of what was sent, and a later correction requires a reason and a new submission.
-
The challenge
From an unacceptable evaluation to an effective action
An unacceptable result calls for an investigation that considers transcription, sample, calibration and the IQC of the period, with corrective action and verification of its effectiveness.
In QualiChart
An unacceptable evaluation opens a nonconformity with the IQC of the day of analysis, cause categories, patient impact, corrective action and verification of effectiveness in the following rounds.
How it works
The steps of a round, in the order they happen
Set up the provider and program
Choose the PNCQ, Controllab or another provider's template and link each analyte on the form to the internal control analyte and instrument.
Receive the kit and enter the results
Material condition, acceptance of the samples and the result of each expected assay, with the IQC context on the day of analysis.
Check and record the submission
Another person checks the results; the submission records the channel, the protocol or receipt and the version of each result sent.
Record the official evaluation
The provider's grade and report date, with Dev%, deviation index and Z-score calculated to support the team's analysis.
Act on the results and follow the cycle
Nonconformities, appeals to the provider and cycle performance, with the certificate criteria and the official result side by side.
Capabilities
From the provider's kit to the cycle certificate.
Rounds from PNCQ, Controllab and other providers with kit receipt, results, review and submission, official evaluation, nonconformities and cycle performance, in the same account as your IQC.
- Providers and programsPNCQ and Controllab templates with grades, cycle and deadlines, adjustable to the contract.
- Rounds with the official calendarKit receipt, expected assays per sample and alerts for kits not received and for deadlines.
- Results linked to IQCEach provider analyte linked to internal control, with the IQC context on the day of analysis.
- Traceable review and submissionReview by another person, a transcription sheet and a copy of each result sent.
- Official evaluationThe provider's grade and report date, with Dev%, deviation index and Z-score calculated.
- Nonconformities and performanceInvestigation, corrective action, effectiveness, appeals, participation and certificate per cycle.
Requirements and good practice
What RDC 978/2025 requires of external quality control
- RDC 978/2025 · Arts. 185 to 188
Every service must take part in EQA programs individually, performing them on all instruments in use and for all analytes tested.
Read the source - RDC 978/2025 · Art. 189
The service must verify, at least annually, the availability of proficiency testing for its tests and, for those not covered, adopt alternative ways of assessing accuracy.
Read the source - RDC 978/2025 · Art. 176, item V
The documentation of quality control management includes the EQA performance report issued by the provider, at least annually.
Read the source - ISO 15189:2022 · 7.3.7.3
The laboratory shall monitor the performance of its examination methods by comparison with other laboratories, such as in proficiency testing, and act when the criteria are not met.
Read the source
QualiChart organizes the recording and traceability of the rounds. The official evaluation is always the provider's, and the choice of programs and investigation criteria remains with the laboratory.
Which providers does QualiChart support?
There are ready-made templates for PNCQ and Controllab, with grades, cycle and deadlines that can be adjusted to the contract. Other providers are set up from a generic template.
Does QualiChart send the results to the provider?
No. The results are entered on the provider's portal or channel, with the help of the transcription sheet. QualiChart records the submission, the protocol or receipt and the version sent.
Does the system calculate the grade instead of the provider?
No. The official grade is the one stated in the provider's report. Dev%, deviation index and Z-score support the analysis, and the calculated preview is shown alongside without replacing it.
Can instruments that do not submit to the provider be compared?
Yes. An instrument that measures the same analyte without submitting to the provider can be set up as an internal comparison and is evaluated against the target reported for the submitted result.
Further reading
Related content
Your next step in quality control
Put QualiChart to the test. Free for 30 days.
Create your account and evaluate QualiChart in your laboratory. Do you prefer a guided introduction? Request a demo with our team.