The pursuit of excellence emphasizes quality control in ensuring stringent standards.
Quality, once a market differentiator, has become a vital condition for survival in all sectors of industry and services. In healthcare, the perception of quality has evolved, now being a growing demand from physicians, patients, families, payers, and other stakeholders.
Laboratories, faced with technological advancements, an increase in testing options, growing complexity in processes, fierce competition, and economic challenges in healthcare, relentlessly seek effectiveness in processes and efficiency in business. In this context, management tools gain prominence.
High-performance laboratories invest in advanced equipment, highly qualified personnel, and, above all, stringent quality standards. To achieve these standards, quality control becomes a fundamental tool in analytical routines.
Importance of quality control
Laboratory quality control is a set of practices and procedures that ensures the reliability of results in analyses. It is based on pre-established criteria to ensure the accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of generated data.
Preventive actions provided by quality tools are more efficient than corrective actions, as they prevent wastage of inputs, expenses on repetitions, and rework, making analyses more productive and reliable.
Standards and Norms
In addition to the benefits for the credibility and reputation of the laboratory, the practice of quality control helps establishments meet requirements for laboratory accreditations processes and regulatory body requirements.
Training and capacity building
Laboratory quality control plays a vital role in the ongoing development of the team, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform their duties effectively and efficiently. This is because control establishes standardized procedures for laboratory tests and analyses, creating a consistent foundation for training and ensuring that all team members adhere to best practices.
Key tools of laboratory quality control
- Certified Reference Materials: are materials accompanied by a certificate issued in accordance with the ABNT NBR ISO 17034 standard, providing more accurate and traceable analyses.
- Proficiency Testing (External Quality Control): an effective tool for determining the analytical performance of the laboratory, ensuring the quality of analyses and the reliability of results. In a continuous format with multiple items for analysis, it enables efficient monitoring of result variability and assists in identifying trends and inconsistencies in analytical processes.
- Internal Control: constantly monitors whether the analyses performed in the laboratory are consistent and error-free, aiming to keep process variability under control and provide opportunities for improvement.
- Calibration of Instruments: checks if the measurement obtained by an instrument is compatible with the expected, ensuring the reliability of measurements and reducing costs and rework.
- Laboratory Indicators: increase organizational efficiency, aiding in cost reduction and promoting strategy-to-operation security.
These tools, used complementarily in analytical processes, contribute to customer satisfaction and the laboratory’s credibility, fostering a culture of quality within organizations. This promotes a mindset of continuous improvement and responsibility, encouraging the team to strive for excellence in their activities.
Controllab, a leading company in laboratory quality control solutions, offers the broadest portfolio for diverse analytical routines: from clinical analyses with genetic tests to laboratory water; from cosmetics and pharmaceuticals compliance to the quality of veterinary tests; from the quality of blood components to the food we eat and the effluents we treat.
As an impartial provider that does not produce reagents or equipment, Controllab’s materials are 100% considered third-party. They provide detection of more sensitive variations that may not be perceived in controls from the analytical system manufacturers.
Visit controllab.com/en now and explore the essential tools that elevate standards of precision, accuracy, and reliability in laboratory analyses, driving excellence in your quality journey.
