Proficiency testing program for hemoglobin E, A2 and F analysis in Thailand using lyophilized hemoglobin control materials
-
Sakorn Pornprasert
,
Monthathip Tookjai
Abstract
Background:
There is no external quality assessment (EQA) program for hemoglobin analysis that uses lyophilized hemoglobin control materials with HbA2/E in levels as high as those found in people with the β-thalassemia trait, HbE trait, β-thalassemia/HbE disease or homozygous HbE; these are all found frequently in the southeast Asian population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the control materials used in the established proficiency testing (PT) program at the Associated Medical Sciences-Clinical Service Center (AMC-CSC), Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Methods:
The PT program for Hb analysis and the thalassemia interpretation was established in compliance with ISO/IEC17043:2010. Three cycles per year were performed in 2015 and 2016. In each cycle, three different types of control material were provided to the participants. Each participant analyzed the control materials in the same manner as in their routine practices. Hb analysis results and their thalassemia interpretation codes were entered into the report form and sent back to AMC-CSC.
Results:
The number of participants increased from 63 in 2015 to 76 in 2016. In addition, the number of participants who took part in all three cycles increased from 95.2% (60/63) in 2015 to 100% (76/76) in 2016. All participants reported the correct Hb measurement and type; however, misinterpretations in thalassemia diagnosis were noted.
Conclusions:
The lyophilized hemoglobin control materials prepared at AMC-CSC were used successfully in our PT program. However, the study results indicate the need for further improvement in thalassemia interpretation skills for laboratory staff.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the technicians in the Associated Medical Sciences Clinical Service Center, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand for their help and assistance.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
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©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
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- Editorial
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- Reviews
- Machine learning in laboratory medicine: waiting for the flood?
- Is irisin the new player in exercise-induced adaptations or not? A 2017 update
- Opinion Paper
- Can a combination of average of normals and “real time” External Quality Assurance replace Internal Quality Control?
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- The UGT1A1*28 gene variant predicts long-term mortality in patients undergoing coronary angiography
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Laboratory performance of sweat conductivity for the screening of cystic fibrosis
- Making sense of a haemolysis monitoring and reporting system: a nationwide longitudinal multimethod study of 68 Australian laboratory participant organisations
- Visual assessment of hemolysis affects patient safety
- Strong impact on plasma protein profiles by precentrifugation delay but not by repeated freeze-thaw cycles, as analyzed using multiplex proximity extension assays
- Validation of the Six Sigma Z-score for the quality assessment of clinical laboratory timeliness
- Proficiency testing program for hemoglobin E, A2 and F analysis in Thailand using lyophilized hemoglobin control materials
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- Antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) as potential diagnostic markers and risk predictors of venous thrombosis and obstetric complications in antiphospholipid syndrome
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- Reference Values and Biological Variations
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Visual assessment of sample quality: quo usque tandem?
- Reviews
- Machine learning in laboratory medicine: waiting for the flood?
- Is irisin the new player in exercise-induced adaptations or not? A 2017 update
- Opinion Paper
- Can a combination of average of normals and “real time” External Quality Assurance replace Internal Quality Control?
- Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
- The UGT1A1*28 gene variant predicts long-term mortality in patients undergoing coronary angiography
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Laboratory performance of sweat conductivity for the screening of cystic fibrosis
- Making sense of a haemolysis monitoring and reporting system: a nationwide longitudinal multimethod study of 68 Australian laboratory participant organisations
- Visual assessment of hemolysis affects patient safety
- Strong impact on plasma protein profiles by precentrifugation delay but not by repeated freeze-thaw cycles, as analyzed using multiplex proximity extension assays
- Validation of the Six Sigma Z-score for the quality assessment of clinical laboratory timeliness
- Proficiency testing program for hemoglobin E, A2 and F analysis in Thailand using lyophilized hemoglobin control materials
- Application of κ free light chains in cerebrospinal fluid as a biomarker in multiple sclerosis diagnosis: development of a diagnosis algorithm
- Antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) as potential diagnostic markers and risk predictors of venous thrombosis and obstetric complications in antiphospholipid syndrome
- An evaluation of the SENTiFIT 270 analyser for quantitation of faecal haemoglobin in the investigation of patients with suspected colorectal cancer
- Evaluation of the Aptima HBV Quant assay vs. the COBAS TaqMan HBV test using the high pure system for the quantitation of HBV DNA in plasma and serum samples
- Reference Values and Biological Variations
- Reference intervals for stone risk factors in 24-h urine among healthy adults of the Han population in China
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Rule-out of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction by five point of care cardiac troponin assays according to the 0 h/3 h algorithm of the European Society of Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Diagnostic and prognostic value of presepsin vs. established biomarkers in critically ill patients with sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome
- Association of adrenal hormone metabolites and mortality over a 6-year follow-up in COPD patients with acute exacerbation
- Corrigendum
- Corrigendum to: Validation of a pneumatic tube system to transport surgical pathology biopsy samples
- Letters to the Editor
- A transnational collaborative network dedicated to the study and applications of the vascular endothelial growth factor-A in medical practice: the VEGF Consortium
- Detection and a functional characterization of the novel FBN1 intronic mutation underlying Marfan syndrome: case presentation
- Effect of haemolysis on the determination of CCL17/thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and CCL22/macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC)
- Evaluation of long-term stability of cannabinoids in standardized preparations of cannabis flowering tops and cannabis oil by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
- Impact of citrated blood collection tubes on red cell morphology: implications for the measurement of plasma glucose
- Validation of a pneumatic tube system to transport surgical pathology biopsy samples
- Antioxidant capacity in patients with type 2 diabetes: a preliminary investigation on gender-specific differences in an Italian population
