11 Jun 2021
The BSAVA has launched a new lab method performance verification help tool to support the new updates to the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme.
Vet Times
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Background image © BSAVA Manual of Small Animal Practice Management and Development
A new method of determining the accuracy of analytic equipment used in clinics has been released by the BSAVA to help keep vets up to standard.
The BSAVA has launched a new lab method performance verification help tool to support the new updates to the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS).
The PSS is a voluntary quality assurance scheme for veterinary practices run by the RCVS. The BSAVA has been working with the PSS to introduce a new voluntary standard into the PSS scoring scheme, which recognises practices seeking to ascertain the performance of their own laboratory analysers.
The new lab method performance verification help tool was developed by both practitioners and specialists, and automatically calculates the total observed errors and compares them against the recommended maximum.
Tim Williams, co-author of the new tool, said: “Many, if not most, small animal practitioners will be using some sort of in-clinic analysers on a daily basis to measure blood concentrations of cells or biochemical markers such as glucose or creatinine to support decisions about their patients.
“Consequently, it is important to know whether the laboratory equipment they use to support diagnostic decision-making is fit for that purpose.
“Many practices will perform quality control checks on their in-house analysers; however, sometimes the ‘target range’ provided is too wide to detect clinically relevant analytical errors.”
Peter Graham, a co-author of the new tool, said: “The new voluntary standard will be worth 10 points towards the Award in Diagnostic Services in the PSS, although we would encourage all practices to perform this sort of validation on their in-house analysers, whether or not they intend to try to achieve this new standard.
“By performing these checks and ensuring that your in-house analyser is able to tell you what you need to know, practitioners can be assured that the results they obtain are valid, and therefore feel more confident in their clinical decision-making.”
