MyQCLabBlog & Articles
Insights, analysis, and education on laboratory quality control
Checklists & Visual Interpretation: Maintaining Quality in Manual Testing Without Automated Systems
This comprehensive guide provides procedural checklists and visual interpretation protocols for manual diagnostic tests like RDTs and microscopy, complete with ready-to-use form templates.
Monte Carlo Simulation: Testing the Reliability of Your QC Rules Before Problems Occur
Learn how Monte Carlo simulation tests the reliability of your Westgard rules in detecting errors, complete with a power function calculator.
EWMA: When Moving Averages Need Greater Sensitivity to Recent Data
Learn how EWMA works for the early detection of laboratory drift, how it compares to the Moving Average, and how to select the optimal parameters.
Moving Averages: Monitoring Laboratory Quality Using Patient Results
Learn how the Moving Average (Average of Normals) method detects laboratory drift using patient data, eliminating the need for additional control materials.
CUSUM Charts: Detecting Subtle Shifts Invisible on Levey-Jennings Plots
Learn how CUSUM charts effectively detect small, persistent shifts in laboratory quality control that often go unnoticed on standard Levey-Jennings charts.
Accreditation Is Not a Burden—It Is Validation of Existing QA Processes
Understand how ISO 15189 clauses directly correlate with essential laboratory QA components, including calibration, EQA, QC, personnel management, and CAPA.
Six Relevant QA Components for Your Laboratory
A comprehensive guide to the six essential components of laboratory QA: living SOPs, calibration, medical laboratory technician training, reagent management, internal audits, and CAPA.
QA Prevents, QC Detects: Why Detection Alone Is Not Enough
Rigorous quality control cannot compensate for a weak QA process; discover the six essential components of Quality Assurance and why prevention is more effective than detection.
QC vs. QA: The Two Layers of Quality Systems Often Confused
Understand the fundamental differences between Quality Control and Quality Assurance in the laboratory: QA focuses on prevention, QC on detection, and why both are essential for operational excellence.
New Control Materials Have Arrived — What Now?
Understand why factory-set ranges for test kit inserts should not be used as direct QC control limits and learn the essential verification steps laboratories must perform beforehand.
QC as Part of the System
Understand the quality control (QC) workflow from control materials to corrective actions, and learn the fundamental differences between Internal Quality Control (IQC) and External Quality Assurance (EQA) in assessing laboratory precision (CV) and accuracy (d%).
Two Types of Errors: Different Causes, Different Actions
Understand the differences between random and systematic errors in laboratory QC using a simple body-weight analogy, and learn the appropriate investigation methods for each.
Laboratory QC Is Actually Simple — Here’s the Logic
Master the fundamentals of quality control by understanding why variations occur, the two types of errors, and how QC ensures you can trust your instruments.
The Friedewald Formula: How to Calculate LDL from Total Cholesterol, HDL, and Triglycerides
Understand the Friedewald formula for estimating LDL cholesterol, identify when it is considered invalid, and learn how laboratory professionals can verify the accuracy of lipid profile results.
eGFR and CKD-EPI 2021: A Practical Guide for Medical Laboratory Technologists
Understand eGFR, the 2021 CKD-EPI formula, and how serum creatinine results are translated into kidney function estimates relevant to medical laboratory technologists (ATLM).
Daily QC Always Passes — Is Our Lab Truly Quality-Assured?
Daily QC results that consistently fall within range do not always guarantee laboratory quality. Learn about the limitations of standard QC and the potential pitfalls of the "always-green" paradox.
QC Rejects: A Structured Troubleshooting Workflow
A comprehensive guide to the QC rejection troubleshooting workflow, covering diagnosis of random versus systematic errors, investigation, corrective actions, and documentation.
Levey-Jennings Charts: Visualizing Daily QC Data
Discover the history, anatomy, and interpretation of Levey-Jennings charts—from identifying normal patterns and shifts to calculating them using mean and standard deviation.
Accuracy, Precision, & Monthly Evaluation: Quantitatively Measuring Lab Performance
Learn the differences between accuracy and precision, how to calculate %D, CV, and Total Error, and how to compare these metrics against TEa (CLIA/RiliBÄK) for effective monthly evaluations.
Preliminary Testing: Establishing Your Own Laboratory Target Values and Control Limits
A 4-step guide to conducting preliminary testing to establish your laboratory's own target values, SD, and UCL/LCL, rather than relying solely on manufacturer ranges.
Westgard Multirule: From Charts to Decisions — To Reject or Not?
Learn the 6 Westgard Multirules (1-2s, 1-3s, 2-2s, R-4s, 4-1s, 10x), understand when to reject QC, and discover how to apply these rules hierarchically.
Sigma Metrics: Measuring Your Laboratory's Analytical Quality with a Single Number
Learn how to calculate your laboratory's Sigma Metric, understand what it means for patient safety, and try the free interactive Sigma Metric Calculator on MyQCLab.