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4 - The Front line worker

Overview

Purpose

Front-line workers assess whether or not an analytical run is acceptable.  QC protocols developed by laboratory management must standardize the decision criteria used by the workers.  In this activity, participants are provided with QC charts and a Westgard Multirule algorithm and must apply the decision-making process to determine acceptability of the analytical run.

Key Message

  • Multirules provide a high level of error detection capability while at the same time keeping false rejection rates low.
  • Laboratory management must provide clear instructions to the front-line workers regarding QC decision criteria.
  • The 1:2s warning rule is a scanning tool that can save time and effort in manual QC applications.

Self Assessment

Can you: 

  • Determine whether an analytical run is acceptable or not based upon a given QC protocol?
  • Recognize how the 1:2s warning rule can be used as a scanning tool?
  • Understand when a multirule should be applied to a measurement procedure?

Resources