Biochemia Medica, Vol. 29 No. 3, 2019.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2019.030710
Optimizing moving average control procedures for small-volume laboratories: can it be done?
Vera Lukić
; Department of laboratory diagnostics, Railway Healthcare Institute, Belgrade, Serbia
Svetlana Ignjatović
; Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade, Serbia; Center for Medical Biochemistry, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
Introduction: Moving average (MA) means calculating the average value from a set of patient results and further using that value for analytical quality
control purposes. The aim of this study was to examine whether the selection, optimization and validation of MA procedures can be performed
using the already described bias detection simulation method and whether it is possible to select appropriate MA procedures for a laboratory with a
small daily testing volume.
Materials and methods: The study was done on four analytes: creatinine, potassium, sodium and albumin. All patient results of these tests processed
during six months were taken from the laboratory information system. Using the MA Generator software, different MA procedures were
analysed. Different inclusion criteria, calculation formulas, batch sizes and weighting factors were tested. Selection of optimal MA procedures was
based on their ability to detect simulated biases of different sizes. After optimization, the validation of MA procedures was done. The results were
presented by bias detection curves and MA validation charts.
Results: Simple MA procedures for albumin and sodium without truncation limits were selected as optimal. Exponentially weighted MA procedures
were found optimal for creatinine and potassium, with the upper truncation limits of 150 μmol/L and 6 mmol/L, respectively.
Conclusions: It has been experimentally confirmed that it is possible to perform the selection, optimization and validation of MA procedures using
the bias detection simulation method. Also, it is possible to define MA procedures optimal for a laboratory with a small daily testing volume.
Keywords
quality control; moving average; bias detection simulation; MA Generator software
Hrčak ID:
226457
URI
Publication date:
15.10.2019.
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