There are a variety of RIQAS reports designed to enable quick and easy identification of any trends or test system issues. The standard quantitative report is provided in a user-friendly, one page per parameter format allowing a visual, at-a-glance assessment of performance. The standard quantitative report is split into several easy to interpret subsections each designed to save valuable laboratory time.
You can explore each of the report sections using the table below. Don’t forget, to enlarge the image, simply click on it.
RIQAS EQA Reports
RIQAS Reports Features
Performance data is presented in a simple one page format for each analyte. Each one page report comprises seven sub-reports providing a statistical and graphical representation of laboratory performance.
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The text section provides a statistical breakdown of results by all methods, your method and instrument group. The Mean, CV% and Uncertainty or Measurement is presented for each comparison group.
Your laboratory’s result is compared to the Mean for Comparison (usually the instrument group Mean). Also included are the RIQAS performance indicators; SDI, Target Score and %Deviation.
Acceptable performance criteria:
- SDI <2
- Target Score >50
- %Deviation
The defined acceptable limits default to the RIQAS TDPA values but may be based on CLIA, biological variation or country specific limits.
Performance goals based on Biological Variation are also stated within the text section for information purposes.
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The histogram chart provides an overview of how your laboratory’s result compares to the all method group, your method group and your instrument group. Your result is represented by a black triangle; the closer to the centre the better.
The chart is intended to provide a quick visualisation of performance compared to other method groups and can be used to identify any potential bias.
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The Levey-Jennings chart plots the last 20 SDI’s and is extremely useful for monitoring EQA performance over time, allowing quick and easy identification of any trends or bias. The chart is colour coded making interpretation simple and easy; results that fall in the white area are excellent and those in the red area unacceptable.
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The Target Score (TS) chart is a unique chart which displays your laboratory’s last 20 target scores delivering an instant, visual indication of performance. The TS chart is conveniently colour coded for even easier performance assessment, a TS >50 is acceptable. The TS is a numerical index relating your %Deviation from the mean to a Target Deviation for Performance Assessment (TDPA).
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The %Deviation by sample chart displays the %Deviation for the last 20 EQA samples enabling identification of trends and shifts in performance. Similar to the other charts on the RIQAS report, the %Deviation by sample chart is shaded to indicate the limit of acceptable performance. A black dot within the white section of the chart will represent results with a %Deviation within your acceptable limits of performance; a black dot within the red section of the chart will represent results with a %Deviation outside your acceptable limits of performance. %Deviations are not influenced by the performance of your peers, as seen with the standard deviation index (SDI) and therefore is a better indicator of individual performance.
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The %Deviation by concentration chart enables easy detection of possible concentration related biases. Unlike the other charts provided on the report, the %Deviation by concentration chart displays the concentration range of the previous 20 samples along the bottom of the chart.
Using this scale along with the percentage deviation, you are provided with a rapid assessment of your %Deviation in relation to the concentration of the:
• Current sample (represented by a square)
• Your 19 previous results (represented by circles)
This chart provides an easy interpretation of potential positive or negative biases at high or low concentrations, or whether a particular sample is a random outlier.
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The Multi Method Stat Section provides you with an easy way of assessing the performance of the other methods used to analyse the parameter. This is useful when your laboratory plans to change the analytical method used for the parameter.
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Located at the back of the standard quantitative report, our quick reference summary page details the performance for each registered parameter in the programme.
Within the performance column, RIQAS provides an effortless method of assessing the performance of each parameter within the sample distribution. When a red triangle appears next to the parameter, this indicates that all performance indicators (SDI, TS and %DEV) have exceeded the performance criteria.
The performance indicator limits for each parameter are exceeded when your result produces:
• An SDI greater than +/- 2 standard deviations.
• A Target Score less than 50 (only when Target Scoring is available)
• A %Deviation greater than your set acceptable limits of performance.
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A summary CSV file is available on request to all participating laboratories. The report provides a summary of all statistics, acceptable limits and performance indicators as a .csv file for each sample in the cycle.
A retrospective statistics summary is also available, four weeks after the final submission date for parameters where a result was not submitted on time.
