Centre for Proficiency Testing

IQMH has been providing internationally-recognized proficiency testing programs through its Centre for Proficiency Testing (PT) for over 45 years. It is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)  in accordance with the recognized International Standard ISO/IEC 17043: 2010 Conformity assessment — General requirements for proficiency testing.

IQMH’s PT programs are designed to provide regular, objective and independent assessment of a laboratory’s ability to provide an acceptable standard of service by comparison with peers. It also demonstrates comparison of different methods and instruments for the same test; thus, providing an assessment of reliability.

Program participants obtain exclusive access to the following:

• Comprehensive PT/EQA reports which include management reports, educational commentaries and more
• Guidance in the investigation of discordant findings
• Specialty experts/scientific committees
• Consensus practice recommendations and reviews developed by scientific committees.
• Web portal for result submission and report access

IQMH’s Centre for Proficiency Testing offers proficiency testing for the following classes of tests:

• Chemistry, including routine chemistry, drug monitoring, urine drug screen, lipids, enzymes, immunology, endocrinology, fecal occult blood, blood gases, oximetry, urinalysis, and glucose point-of-care testing
• Hematology, including routine hematology, red cell disorders, coagulation, morphology, bone marrow, flow cytometry, rapid malaria, and fetal maternal hemorrhage
• Cytogenetics
• Cytopathology, including gynecological and non-gynecological sample types
• Microbiology, including bacteriology, C. difficile antigen and/or toxin detection, smears for acid-fast bacilli, C. trachomatis/N. gonorrhoeae by NAAT, mycology, parasitology, viral serology and direct viral antigen tests
• Pathology, including various immunohistochemical predictive or prognostic markers such CD117, Ki67, ER/PR breast tumour predictive markers, special stains and/or oversight stains (H&E or HPS)
• Point-of-care Testing  (chemistry, glucose, urine drug screen, and HIV antibody)
• Transfusion medicine, (ABO, Rh, antibody detection/identification, phenotype, DAT, titration, crossmatch)