Design of external quality assessment schemes and definition of the roles of their providers in future epidemics.
Journal
The Lancet. Microbe
ISSN: 2666-5247
Titre abrégé: Lancet Microbe
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101769019
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Jul 2023
Jul 2023
Historique:
received:
13
09
2022
revised:
16
02
2023
accepted:
20
02
2023
medline:
10
7
2023
pubmed:
9
5
2023
entrez:
8
5
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
During an epidemic, individual test results form the basis of epidemiological indicators such as case numbers or incidence. Therefore, the accuracy of measures derived from these indicators depends on the reliability of individual results. In the COVID-19 pandemic, monitoring and evaluating the performance of the unprecedented number of testing facilities in operation, and novel testing systems in use, was urgently needed. External quality assessment (EQA) schemes are unique sources of data reporting on testing performance, and their providers are recognised contacts and support for test facilities (for technical-analytical topics) and health authorities (for planning the monitoring of infection diagnostics). To identify information provided by SARS-CoV-2 genome detection EQA schemes that is relevant for public health microbiology, we reviewed the current literature published in PubMed between January, 2020, and July, 2022. We derived recommendations for EQA providers and their schemes for best practices to monitor pathogen-detection performance in future epidemics. We also showed laboratories, test facilities, and health authorities the information and benefits they can derive from EQA data, and from the non-EQA services of their providers.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37156257
pii: S2666-5247(23)00072-1
doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00072-1
pmc: PMC10162712
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e552-e562Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of interests CB is chairman of the executive board of the European Organisation for External Quality Assurance Providers in Laboratory Medicine 2020–23. HZ was majority owner of Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Diagnostik (until November, 2022) and is owner and managing director of Institut für Qualitätssicherung in der Virusdiagnostik. AG is president of the Austrian Association for Quality Assurance and Standardization of Medical and Diagnostic Tests. All other authors declare no competing interests.