External quality assessment (EQA) is an essential part of performance monitoring for molecular laboratories. At the moment, a national law regulates participation in EQA schemes for clinical biology and pathology in Belgium. This study aimed (1) to get insights on how laboratories organize their EQA participation, (2) to poll satisfaction with the current situation (selection of EQA programs in advance by a governmental body), (3) to provide guidance for choosing the most relevant EQA provider and (4) to propose a new model for national performance monitoring. A survey was sent to Belgian laboratories performing molecular tests in the field of microbiology, hematology and pathology with (1) general questions on how they select an EQA provider and (2) their satisfaction of each provider. In total, 25 molecular laboratories [microbiology ( N = 13), hematology ( N = 8) and pathology ( N = 4)] from 14 different hospitals completed the survey regarding their EQA organization. All three laboratory groups indicated to prefer EQA schemes using real patient materials as well as those with varying targets and concentrations. For molecular microbiology and hematology, schemes with a syndromic approach are sought. Since annual participation in EQA becomes burdensome in most laboratories, this paper also offers a risk-based strategy for determining the participation frequency. Based on the needs of Belgian laboratories, three proposals were made: (1) for the proper selection of an EQA scheme, (2) for determining the minimal participation frequency and (3) for the national organization of EQA schemes.

中文翻译：

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比利时分子诊断实验室的外部质量评估：我们可以改进吗？

外部质量评估 (EQA) 是分子实验室性能监控的重要组成部分。目前，一项国家法律规范了比利时临床生物学和病理学 EQA 计划的参与。本研究旨在 (1) 深入了解实验室如何组织他们的 EQA 参与，(2) 调查对当前情况的满意度（政府机构提前选择 EQA 项目），(3) 为选择最合适的 EQA 项目提供指导相关的 EQA 提供者和 (4) 提出一种新的国家绩效监测模式。一项调查被发送到比利时实验室，在微生物学、血液学和病理学领域进行分子测试，其中包括 (1) 关于他们如何选择 EQA 提供者的一般问题和 (2) 他们对每个提供者的满意度。总共25个分子实验室[微生物学（N=13），来自 14 家不同医院的血液学 (N = 8) 和病理学 (N = 4)] 完成了有关其 EQA 组织的调查。所有三个实验室组都表示更喜欢使用真实患者材料以及具有不同目标和浓度的 EQA 方案。对于分子微生物学和血液学，寻求具有综合征方法的方案。由于在大多数实验室中，每年参与 EQA 变得繁重，因此本文还提供了一种基于风险的策略来确定参与频率。Based on the needs of Belgian laboratories, three proposals were made: (1) for the proper selection of an EQA scheme, (2) for determining the minimal participation frequency and (3) for the national organization of EQA schemes.