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 47,000 participants in more than 139 countries.
Why RIQAS Point of Care?
About RIQAS Point of Care
How it Works
On a monthly basis we will distribute an identical sample of blood to all participating sites. Each participating site will test the sample in the same way they would test a real patient sample, then return their test results to RIQAS within a set time. The scheme is unique in distributing whole blood samples rather than serum based samples, this ensures that samples act identically to real patient samples at the point of care.
An electronic report is then sent to participants, comparing their results with other participants using the same analyser. Satisfactory and unsatisfactory performance is represented using a traffic light system, allowing instant identification of any issues. A more detailed breakdown of performance may be obtained if further information is required. With time, an overall picture will emerge showing whether results are consistently accurate and reliable or whether there may be an underlying analyser and/or operator issue.
Tests and Analysers
Test Role Frequency HbA1c • Diagnosing diabetes mellitus
• Monitoring treatment
• Encouraging self-management
Monthly Total Cholesterol & HDL Cholesterol • Risk factors for heart disease
• Monitoring lipid lowering therapy
Monthly C-Reactive Protein (CRP) • Early detection of infectious disease
• Identifying need for antibiotic treatment
Monthly Glucose • Diagnose and monitor diabetes
• Monitor for the presence of hypoglycaemia
(low blood glucose) and hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose)
Monthly, Bi-monthly and Quarterly 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
Monthly Ketones • To determine whether excessive ketones are
present in the blood, to detect diabetic
ketoacidosis (DKA)
Monthly, Bi-monthly and Quarterly 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 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”Distribution Dates
Distribution Month Sample Distributed Result Submission Deadline January 2022 10th January 19th January February 2022 7th February 16th February March 2022 7th March 16th March April 2022 4th April 13th April May 2022 3rd May 11th May June 2022 6th June 15th June July 2022 4th July 13th July August 2022 1st August 10th August September 2022 5th September 14th September October 2022 3rd October 12th October November 2022 7th November 16th November December 2022 5th December 14th 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.
Want to know more?
Contact us or download the RIQAS Point of Care catalogue to learn more.