Donnell Charles, Manager Proficiency Testing Programs, USP, Brand Insights Contributor

Laboratories use proficiency tests (PTs) to comply with their accreditation requirements and evaluate analysts’ performance. Laboratories regard PTs as a burdensome chore that must be successfully completed to satisfy internal or external compliance or accreditation requirements. PTs are an integral part of a quality management system (QMS) under quality assurance and control (QA/AC). Understanding the core components of the QMS is an important part of passing any PT test. Unacceptable PT results may have little to do with the result itself but reflect the use and application of statistics, standards, and methods.