The external quality assessment scheme: five years experience, for Blood Laboratories of Transfusion Centers in IRAN

IntroductionQuality assurance in blood banking includes active participation in the external qualityprogram. Such a program offers valuable benefits to patient care, their safety, and an overallquality of laboratory practices. To evaluate the competences of medical laboratories of BloodLaboratories of Transfusion centers in IRAN, the long term surveillance of External QualityAssessment Scheme (EQAS) on blood bank laboratories from 2008 to2013 in IRAN wereperformed and analyzedMaterials and Methods:In the current study we evaluated our EQAS test result of the past five years, from 2008 to2013. Test results of all blood samples ABO grouping were analyzed and documented. Allenrolled test items were routine pre-transfusion examinations of Blood Laboratories ofTransfusion centers in IRAN, including ABO and RhD typing .Results:Discordant results were observed in two samples the past five years, one samples for cell typeand one for back type. The results indicated that the correct rates of ABO grouping rangefrom 99.94% to 100%,Conclusion:All these failures in the last five years have helped us to significantly improve our transfusionservice in terms of performance evaluation, patient care and safety issues, and the overallquality of laboratory practices. EQAS is beneficial for quality control of Blood Laboratoriesof Transfusion centers and the continuous improvement of their competences .we thereforerecommend all laboratories and hospitals to participate in the EQAS program, which willdefinitely help them to improve from what they learn.

کلیدواژه ها:

External quality assessment scheme ، quality control ، quality assurance