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IQMH is seeking volunteers to sit on its Proficiency Testing Scientific Committee(s), effective January 1, 2022. Membership on committees consists of a three-year term of office, renewable once. Committees meet an average of four times a year for half-day or full-day meetings.
IQMH Proficiency Testing is proud to share this article prepared and authored by Tamara Ashfield, Elizabeth McCready, Mary Shago, Hong Wang, Elizabeth Sinclair‐Bourque, Eva Cappa, Amanda Piche Marolt, Kathy Chun
ABSTRACT
To survey patterns of practice in Canadian cytogenetics laboratories and evaluate whether newer technologies have influenced testing algorithms for the detection of common aneuploidies and other genomic imbalances in the prenatal and perinatal settings.
IQMH Proficiency Testing is thrilled to share this article prepared and authored by: Angela C. Rutledge (lead author), Anna Johnston, Dana Bailey, Ronald A. Booth Pamela Edmond, Victor Leung, Kika Veljkovic
Testing for renin and aldosterone in clinical laboratories is complicated by pre-analytical considerations such as the posture for blood collection and susceptibility to cryoactivation of renin. From an analytical perspective, there are both renin activity and renin mass or concentration assays available. There can also be variability in result reporting practices and the aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR) cut-off applied to screen for primary aldosteronism (PA). The Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (IQMH) Centre for Proficiency Testing surveyed laboratories on their handling of renin and aldosterone testing to better understand current practices.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) possesses a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome. Mutations of this genome may occur over time, and while these changes are not unexpected, specific mutations may alter important characteristics of the virus. When viral genomic changes are associated with potential altered transmission, virulence, or vaccine efficacy, they may be identified as a particular SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VOC). Currently, there are three commonly discussed VOCs.
Authors: Elaine Leung, Anna Johnston, Brian Olsen, Hong Chang, Tracy Martin, Miranda Wozniak, David Good
Introduction
Examination of a blood film is the second most common hematology test, after the complete blood count. Interpretation of a peripheral blood film by trained laboratory professionals provides valuable diagnostic information. The Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (IQMH) Hematology Scientific Committee developed a questionnaire to gather information regarding current practices for manual blood film review and reporting from laboratories participating in IQMH Morphology proficiency testing (PT) surveys.
The Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (an affiliate of Accreditation Canada) is seeking two professionals to join the Proficiency Testing team.
Director, Proficiency Testing Permanent Full-time with benefits
Consultant Technologist, Microbiology Contract
Elevate, the IQMH newsletter, will be reimagined in 2021 to serve our customers better! The publication will be paused after the release of the January 2021 issue to focus our resources on understanding our clients’ communication needs. The IQMH blog remains a great source of information on company and Proficiency Testing-related news.
Visit the IQMH blog or subscribe to IQMH news to stay in the know! Existing Proficiency Testing clients can also subscribe to specific program-related information in the client portal, QView™.
Find poster publications from the IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing quickly and conveniently on the IQMH website.
Analytical posters are now listed under discipline specific categories on the Resources page of IQMH.org.
Updated: 2020-09-28
Originally published: 2020-03-16
IQMH has been operating as a virtual office since the physical office was closed in mid-March. Starting July 13, 2020, we gradually re-opened our physical office with a very limited number of staff on-site respecting health and safety guidelines by medical experts. The vast majority of IQMH staff have continued working from home during this early phase. With the current spike of cases in Ontario, and new measures by the province to flatten the curve, it’s prudent for us to limit and control the number of people in the office.
Last month, the IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing released its Proficiency Testing Programs in the 2021 Catalogue.
These Proficiency Testing Programs are 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 (Certificate Number: 3059.01). View the Certificate and Scope of Accreditation.
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