IJCA Vol 5 Issue 1 - Flipbook - Page 50
The International Journal of Conformity Assessment
Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration
Laboratories (NABL), which is responsible for
ensuring that laboratories meet international
standards under ISO/IEC 17043 [8]. NABL
accredits a range of pro昀椀ciency testing providers
(PTPs) that offer EQA schemes across medical
testing disciplines, supporting laboratories in
meeting quality assurance requirements and ISO
15189 accreditation.
Accredited PT providers in India include both
national and regional organizations offering
schemes in clinical chemistry, hematology,
microbiology, histopathology, molecular
diagnostics, and other specialized 昀椀elds [8].
Among these is Chimera Translational Research
Fraternity Pvt. Ltd., which is ISO 17043:2023
accredited to provide pro昀椀ciency testing
services in hematology, immunohematology,
and molecular testing from its facility in Delhi,
known as Chimera® EQA Service. It is India’s
昀椀rst and only NABL‑accredited EQA service in
transplant immunology and immunophenotyping
[9]. This re昀氀ects the active participation of Indian
institutions in EQA programs and contributes
to strengthening laboratory quality within the
national testing landscape.
The practical impact of such EQA participation
is illustrated by experiences from accredited
programs in India, including the CHIMERA®
EQA program in transplant immunology and
immunophenotyping. During routine EQA cycles,
participating laboratories identi昀椀ed analytical
variations in selected parameters when compared
with peer laboratories. Review of EQA feedback
prompted root-cause analyses (RCA), commonly
50
2026 | Volume 5, Issue 1
involving evaluation of reagent performance,
calibration practices, and adherence to standard
operating procedures (SOPs). Corrective actions
— such as instrument recalibration, reagent
veri昀椀cation, and targeted staff retraining — were
subsequently implemented. In following EQA
cycles, laboratories demonstrated improved
agreement with assigned values and peer results,
re昀氀ecting measurable improvements in analytical
performance. This example highlights how
structured EQA participation supports continuous
quality improvement and strengthens con昀椀dence
in routine laboratory testing.
Importance of EQA in Laboratory Services
External quality assessment (EQA) plays a vital
role in laboratory quality management (QM) by
improving accuracy, reliability, and consistency of
test results. Comparisons with peer laboratories
enable deviations to be identi昀椀ed and corrected
in a timely manner. Participation in EQA
also supports compliance with international
standards, such as ISO 15189, as well as national
accreditation requirements [2, 10].
Beyond compliance, EQA promotes patient
safety by helping prevent misdiagnoses and
inappropriate treatment decisions through more
accurate and consistent testing. Participation
in EQA programs also supports continuous
education by highlighting knowledge gaps and
technical errors, thereby fostering staff training
and professional development. In addition,
laboratories can benchmark performance against
peers over time, allowing trends to be monitored
and areas for improvement to be identi昀椀ed
