Evaluation of the analytic processes quality in a clinical laboratory by means of the calculation of the total error and the sigma six metrics

• Main Authors: María Cristina Céspedes Quevedo, Raiza Agüero Martén, Lisandra Roca Serra, Yolanda Alcira Cuadra Brown
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Centro Provincial de Información de Ciencias Médicas 2019-06-01
• Series: Medisan
• Subjects: laboratorio clínico; calidad en laboratorio clínico; cálculo del error total; métrica seis sigma.
• Online Access: http://medisan.sld.cu/index.php/san/article/view/2498

An experimental, retrospective and longitudinal investigation was carried out in the Clinical Laboratory of Conrado Benítez García Teaching Provincial Oncological Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, with the aim of evaluating the quality of the analytic processes by means of the total error calculation and the sigma six metrics, for which the glycemia, cholesterol, gammaglutamyl transferase and alanina aminotransferase parameters were used, registered in the monthly internal quality control during the year 2017. The evaluation of each chemical measurement had been carried out with two controllers: Elitrol 1 and Elitrol 2. In more than 90 % of the months, the competence in the determination of the controlled analyte was acceptable, except in the glycemia 1; also an acceptable performance existed in the mensurements of the gammaglutamyl transferase and the alanina aminotransferase, while the glycemia and the cholesterol showed the lower level. It was concluded that the calculation of the total error and the sigma six metrics strengthen the control of the inner quality, they guarantee the quality of the results through the clinical laboratory and, thus, the quality of the medical care to the patients.