Centre for Proficiency Testing

IQMH has been providing internationally-recognized proficiency testing programs through its Centre for Proficiency Testing (PT) for over 40 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 review 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, and glucose point-of-care testing
• Hematology, including routine hematology, red cell disorders, coagulation, morphology, bone marrow, flow cytometry 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)