Top Tips for Minimising Patient Risk

Patient safety is a top priority in biomedical science and medical laboratory practice. The use of high-quality Quality Control (QC) product, such as those developed by Randox, along with the implementation of a patient centric QC strategy, is essential to reduce the risk of harm patients and support better diagnostic confidence.

Use QC Materials with Clinically Relevant Levels

Randox Acusera QC materials are designed to span the entire clinical range with a special emphasis on medical decision levels. This helps verify that your laboratory instruments are performing accurately across all possible result values, low, normal and high ultimately supporting better clinical decisions and patient outcomes.

Ensure Commutability of QC Sample Matrix

Randox QC materials are highly commutable, meaning they closely mimic patient samples in behaviour across different platforms.  Non-commutable QC materials can lead to shifts in QC results when reagent batch is changed.  Commutable QC materials help maintain consistency and reliability across various testing platforms reducing the risk of misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment.

Use Independent QC Materials

As a third-party QC provider, Randox offers truly independent controls.  This impartiality is vital for identifying hidden bias or performance issues that manufacturer-provided QC materials can often mask.  Independent QC materials offer an objective lens through which you can assess true analytical performance and ultimately protect patient health.

Stability (Shelf life and Open Vial Stability)

Randox QC materials are engineered for excellent stability, both in terms of shelf life and open vial use. QC materials must remain stable during storage and after opening to provide consistent results over time. Degrading QC material may fail to detect instrument drift or analytical bias meaning erroneous patient results go unnoticed.

Lot to Lot consistency

Randox invests heavily in lot standardisation, ensuring consistency between batches. This reduces the risk of labs mistaking lot to lot variability for test drift, supporting more confident trend analysis and continuity in patient testing. With minimal lot-to-lot variation, laboratories can maintain tighter control limits and more robust QC processes.

Consolidation

Lack of consolidation when it comes to QC materials increases the risk of human error, operational complexity, and inconsistent performance monitoring, all of which can compromise patient safety.  Lack of consolidation increases operational costs and burdens staff with increased workload, which can lead to missed QC checks or delayed result reporting. Randox’s multi-analyte QC solutions streamline processes, reduce human error, and ensure consistency across platforms, ultimately improving test accuracy, efficiency, and patient care.

Implement a Robust Data Management Program

Acusera 24.7, Randox’s advanced QC data management software, helps laboratories proactively monitor performance through automated QC rules, trend analysis, and real-time alerts. It allows centralised recording of QC data from all laboratory instruments, calculates essential metrics such as measurement uncertainty and total error, and determines whether test results are fit for purpose, all of which are critical to early error detection and reducing patient risk.

Regular Comparability Checks Across Multiple Instruments

With Acusera 24.7, you can easily compare the performance of multiple instruments, sites, or test methods on a single interface. Levey-Jennings charts and performance summaries make it simple to detect instrument-specific biases and ensure consistent results across your entire testing network, vital for standardised patient care.

EQA

Randox offers a comprehensive suite of RIQAS EQA programmes, the world’s largest international EQA scheme. These programmes provide an independent, external evaluation of lab performance, complementing internal QC efforts and benchmarking results against a global peer group, further reinforcing confidence in your analytical accuracy and patient safety outcomes. Our data shows that laboratories that participate in more frequent EQA challenges perform better than laboratories who participate on a less frequent basis.

Conclusion: QC is Patient Safety – Randox Makes It Possible

Implementing these top QC tips is a powerful step toward minimising patient risk and enhancing test reliability. By choosing Randox QC products and data management solutions, your laboratory not only meets regulatory standards but also champions a commitment to clinical excellence and patient well-being. Quality control is not just a procedure; it’s a commitment to patient safety.