Quality control review: implementing a scientifically based quality control system

This review focuses on statistical quality control in the context of a quality management system. It describes the use of a 'Sigma-metric' for validating the performance of a new examination procedure, developing a total quality control strategy, selecting a statistical quality control procedure and monitoring ongoing quality on the sigma scale. Acceptable method performance is a prerequisite to the design and implementation of statistical quality control procedures. Statistical quality control can only monitor performance, and when properly designed, alert analysts to the presence of additional errors that occur because of unstable performance. A new statistical quality control planning tool, called 'Westgard Sigma Rules,' provides a simple and quick way for selecting control rules and the number of control measurements needed to detect medically important errors. The concept of a quality control plan is described, along with alternative adaptations of a total quality control plan and a risk-based individualized quality control plan. Finally, the ongoing monitoring of analytic performance and test quality are discussed, including determination of measurement uncertainty from statistical quality control data collected under intermediate precision conditions and bias determined from proficiency testing/external quality assessment surveys. A new graphical tool, called the Sigma Quality Assessment Chart, is recommended for demonstrating the quality of current examination procedures on the sigma scale.