Randox International Quality Assessment Scheme – Point of Care EQA

Designed to improve the quality of Point of Care Testing (POCT) in locations such as pharmacies, GP surgeries, hospital out patient departments, sports clinics, supermarkets, diagnostic/treatment and walk-in centres, RIQAS Point of Care EQA provides independent evidence of the accuracy and reliability of test results. Randox International Quality Assessment Scheme (RIQAS) is the world’s largest EQA scheme with over 55,000 participants in more than 134 countries.

Why RIQAS Point of Care?

Commutability

RIQAS Point of Care samples have been designed to react in a similar manner to a patient sample when tested. RIQAS Point of Care provide only the highest quality of samples free from interfering preservatives which will increase confidence that your EQA performance mirrors the performance of patient samples.

Consolidation

RIQAS Point of Care offers a convenient and flexible solution for Point of Care EQA. The RIQAS Point of Care range covers multiple analytes which reduces the number of individual controls required to cover your test menu. This will ultimately reduce costs, preparation time and storage.

Independent Assessment

We provide independent evidence of satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance.

Online User Portal

Our website offers an easy-to-use interface for programme registration, result submission and retrieval of reports. In addition users may add new operators, update contact details and/or analyser specifications quickly and easily at any time.

Ready-to-Use

We supply ready-to-use samples ensuring user convenience as no preparation is required before analysis.

Easy to Interpret

Our convenient traffic light system ensures reports are quick and easy to interpret and reflect the accuracy and reliability of patients’ results.

Operator Training Assessment

Historical reports can assist in the assessment of instrument operator training issues.

Customer Support

We support clients in improving their performance while also providing support to commissioners in performance monitoring and management.

Patient Safety

The scheme enhances patient safety in diagnosis and management of long term conditions.

About RIQAS Point of Care

How it Works

Tests and Analysers

Test	Role	Matrix
Lipids (Total Cholesterol & HDL Cholesterol)	• Risk factors for heart disease • Monitoring lipid lowering therapy	Whole Blood
HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin)	• Diagnosing diabetes mellitus • Monitoring treatment • Encouraging self-management	Whole Blood
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	• Early detection of infectious disease • Identifying need for antibiotic treatment	Whole Blood
Glucose/Ketones	• Diagnose and monitor diabetes • Monitor for the presence of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) and hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) • To determine whether excessive ketones are present in the blood, to detect diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)	Serum
International Normalised Ratio (INR)	• Used to measure the effect of anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin • Help diagnose a bleeding disorder; to help estimate the severity of liver disease	Plasma

Note – The RIQAS Point of Care range is constantly expanding to include new tests and analysers. Please contact us if your desired analyser or test is not currently displayed.

Ordering Information

Panel	Catalogue Number
Lipids	RQ9181/A
Lipids + 1 panel	RQ9181/B
Lipids + 2 panels	RQ9181/C
Additional Sample	RQ9181/D
Glucose and Ketones	RQ9188
INR	RQ9189
Pipette Tips	RQ9182
Bulbous pipette	RQ9183

What Participants Say
Our unrivalled commitment to quality and service ensures high levels of customer satisfaction, this is evident from the responses to our latest customer satisfaction survey:

“All in all a quick and efficient service”
“Good online system”
“Very helpful team”
“Excellent training”
“They are an experienced team”
“Very satisfied with the service that we receive”
“Very good value for money”
“The website is great”

Key Cycle Dates

RQ9181
Distribution Month	Sample Distributed	Result Submission Deadline
January 2023	9^th January	18^th January
February 2023	6^th February	15^th February
March 2023	6^th March	15^th March
April 2023	3^rd April	12^th April
May 2023	2^nd May	10^th May
June 2023	5^th June	14^th June
July 2023	3^rd July	12^th July
August 2023	7^th August	16^th August
September 2023	4^th September	13^th September
October 2023	2^nd October	13^th October
November 2023	6^th November	15^th November
December 2023	4^th December	13^th December

Importance of Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is an essential aspect of any clinical/diagnostic testing service and is aimed at ensuring the accuracy and reliability of patients’ results. The right result allows the right clinical advice to be offered in a timely manner. Quality assurance operates at two levels:Internal Quality Control
Internal Quality Control includes operator training/ competency assessment, analyser/ test system maintenance, and adherence to policies/ processes. Whilst some point of care analysers include inbuilt quality checks, cross-check analysis against samples with known levels provides immediate assurance and evidence that a patient’s result is safe to report.External Quality Assessment
External Quality Assessment involves analysis of samples with unknown levels that have been distributed by an external organisation. Participants are informed how their results compare with other participants, hence providing independent evidence of performance. Increasingly, participation in an external quality assessment scheme is becoming a mandatory requirement where health and healthcare services are being provided.
EQA provides assurance to both staff and customers that testing provides accurate and reliable results.

Want to know more?Visit our Importance of EQA page to learn more.

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