The current global crisis has raised medical laboratories in the front line to battle against SARS-CoV2. Corona virus testing is very important in order to manage the epidemic, but laboratories are performing a tremendous amount of other testing as well to monitor the treatment of infected people. Laboratories and laboratory staff around the world are currently working on the limit of their performance.
This kind of crisis is a challenge to the quality management system. Extra workload, a shortage of workers, and lack of protective equipment and consumables all occur at the same time. Smaller laboratories are closing doors, leading to an increasing workload of the central laboratories. However, laboratories are expected to perform as usual and to report clinically relevant results. Medical laboratories are performing daily routine maintenance of the instruments, calibrations, internal quality control procedures and external quality assessment samples according to the planned schedule to ensure the correctness of results in the middle of all the extra urgency.
Labquality is supporting the medical laboratories during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic by continuing to provide external quality assessment services according to standard routine. We are doing our best to secure scheduled deliveries, even during this global distress. As the situation escalates, we are in readiness to reschedule and prolong the EQA rounds in delivering the schemes. Labquality will inform all participants of any changes in sample shipping schedule. Please follow our delivery calendar and website to keep up to date.
Labquality would like to wish strength to all medical laboratory professionals who are doing such an incredible work to overcome this global challenge. Best of luck and stay in good health!