As much as we might want to, 2020 has been a year that none of us are likely to forget. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused global social and economic disruption, cancellations and postponements of events, travel restrictions, and lockdowns across the world. Today, the pressure on our Canadian healthcare systems has never been greater with daily case numbers continuing to rise, increasing hospital admissions, and ICU bed occupancy reaching critical capacity levels.

In 2021, the Immunology (IMGY) survey will assess CRP (C-reactive Protein), high sensitivity (hs-CRP), and wide-range (wr)CRP assays as a single analyte (CRP). Previously, the IMGY survey targeted low values of CRP, which were best analyzed by hs-CRP assays. Newer immunoassays can measure a broad analytical range of CRP concentrations, and the number of laboratories replacing hs-CRP assays with full range CRP assays continues to increase. In order to assess the full range of clinically-encountered CRP values, the IMGY survey will now offer a range of CRP concentrations (0.1–120.0 mg/L). Assessments will continue to be made by all-methods’ mean.

The purpose of this bulletin is to remind participants of the changes related to the packaging and shipment process for Coagulation survey material in 2021.

A copy of the Shipment Changes for 2021 Coagulation Surveys was included in the previous September 2020 survey.

In our continual effort to improve our services, the Morphology section of the IQMH Hematology Scientific Committee conducted a review of the Morphology analysis worksheet, and several improvement opportunities were identified.

The following changes have been made to the analysis worksheet to reflect information found in current guidelines and published literature and are also expected to better support the move forward with providing digital images for future surveys.

The IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing Scientific Committees are composed of physicians, technologists and scientists who provide advice to IQMH regarding the fundamental design of Proficiency Testing surveys and ensure that challenges are clinically relevant, and that appropriate performance evaluation is developed and implemented each year.

As a participant in the Centre for Proficiency Testing, participants obtain exclusive access to PT Consensus Practice Recommendations and Reviews. These documents can be found in discipline-specific folders under General - Proficiency Testing, PT Guidelines and Recommendations in the IQMH Documents section in QView.™

IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing will be participating in the 2020 AACC Annual Scientific & Clinical Lab Expo all virtual event (December 13–17).

On November 30, 2020, IQMH and Accreditation Canada moved forward with their planned integration by welcoming the IQMH Centre for Accreditation to the Accreditation Canada family. IQMH Centre for Accreditation has been rebranded as Accreditation Canada Diagnostics. The IQMH Centre for Education and Echocardiography (EQI) services are also part of this transfer, while the IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing remains within IQMH as a controlled affiliate of Accreditation Canada

IQMH Centre for Accreditation has been rebranded as Accreditation Canada Diagnostics. The IQMH Centre for Education and Echocardiography (EQI) services are also part of this transfer.

PT disciplines such as Bacteriology, Mycology and Hematology-Morphology have indices of survey challenges/cases going back as far as 1975. These are updated regularly and can be found in QView™.