Introduction to Quality Design and Planning Online Course

This minicourse introduces the latest theories and models for Quality Control. QC has been performed in the healthcare laboratory for over 50 years, yet many QC practices remain rooted in the 1950's. New technologies, new approaches, and new techniques for QC have evolved in the last few decades. This course introduces the latest developments in QC. Your Instructor

James O. Westgard, Ph.D. is the primary instructor for this course and the author of the course material.

Purpose

Quality Control is not something to be performed without thought. There is no single way to "do QC", and the notion that 2 SD limits are the standard QC practice is both out-dated and wasteful. Performing QC requires careful consideration and planning. This course is concerned with the establishment of logical specifications for precision and accuracy of methods and with the selection of control rules for statistical QC.

Audience

This minicourse is intended for clinical laboratory scientists with responsibility for technical quality management of laboratory testing processes. Directors and managers of healthcare laboratories, clinical chemists, QC technologists and specialists, teachers and students in Clinical Laboratory Science programs will find it especially useful. Instrument developers, manufacturer technical and field specialists, and laboratory inspectors can also benefit greatly.

Course Goals

* Learn the requirements for QC by CLIA, JCAHO, and other agencies * Define the quality required and necessary for a laboratory test. * Access resources for analytical, clinical, and European quality requirements. * Identify online tools for Quality Planning * Recognize the principles of Quality Planning and their relationship to traditional QC.

Course Materials

* A syllabus outlining the order of the lessons * 4 Lesson plans: each contains a description of the lesson, along with links to the readings, a list of things to do, and self-assessment questions * Answers to the self-assessment questions * 4 online quizzes (which do not count toward the final grade) to help prepare you for the final exam. * 1 online final exam (you must pass with a score of 70% to receive credit) * Glossary of terms * Archives of hundreds of supplemental articles, essays, lessons, and applications for optional reading.

Westgard QC, Inc. copyright 2008