Quality Assurance and Auditing in Clinical Microbiology - Kristen Winterburn

Explore quality assurance and auditing practices in clinical microbiology through this comprehensive lecture. Gain insights into ISO 15189:2012 standards, assessment criteria, and their impact on patient care. Discover the differences between quality assurance and quality control, and learn about validation, verification, and post-intervention processes. Examine real-life examples of internal quality assurance (IQA), internal quality control (IQC), and external quality assessment (EQA) in microbiology laboratories. Understand the importance of quality management systems, non-accredited tests, and UKAS assessments. Delve into vertical audits, ordered findings, and supplementary audits. Learn about everyday quality practices, monitoring trends, and monthly quality reports, with a focus on blood cultures. Acquire valuable knowledge to enhance quality assurance processes in clinical microbiology settings.

Introduction
What is quality assurance
Quality assurance vs quality control
Why is it necessary
What is included
Quality management system
Validation vs verification
Post intervention verification
ISO 15189
Nonaccredited tests
Ucas assessment
Ucas findings
Vertical audits
Ordered findings and supplementary audits
Everyday quality
IQA examples
EQA examples
Monitoring trends
Monthly quality reports
Blood cultures