General Laboratory Quality Control Requirements include which example?

• A. Use of certified reference materials or in-house quality control using secondary reference materials, or both.
• B. Relying on external QC only when convenient.
• C. Eliminating replicate testing.
• D. Not participating in proficiency testing.

Answer: (A)

Quality control in the laboratory hinges on checking measurements against materials with known, trusted values. Using certified reference materials provides an authoritative standard with traceability to recognized reference methods, so you can verify that instruments are calibrated correctly and that assays produce accurate results. When certified materials aren’t available or practical, performing in-house quality control with secondary reference materials offers a validated internal check to monitor assay performance and detect drift, bias, or performance issues. Using either type, or both, gives ongoing assurance that results are reliable across runs and over time.

Relying on external quality control only when convenient lacks the routine, systematic checks that QC requires. Eliminating replicate testing removes an important assessment of precision and repeatability. Not participating in proficiency testing deprives the lab of external benchmarking to identify biases or method problems.