Annual Report of the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service on General Chemistry (2019)

Abstract

In 2019, the general chemistry proficiency testing program of the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service consisted of routine chemistry and urine chemistry programs including 30 and 13 test items, respectively. The test method classification system in the urine chemistry program was revised. The routine chemistry program was conducted four times a year, and the urine chemistry program was conducted twice a year. Statistical analysis data for the test method and reagent companies were reported based on the information and results of the test items provided by each institution. The statistics included the number of participating institutes, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation (CV), median, and the minimum and maximum values for each group. Each report included tables, histograms, Levey–Jennings charts, and the standard deviation index showing the statistics of each test item. In the routine chemistry program, more than 1,000 institutions performed 17 test items, and the number is continuously increasing. Alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase were found to have relatively high CVs because of the differences in the results obtained using different test methods; however, the CVs for others were within 10%. In the urine chemistry program, albumin and protein showed relatively high CVs.