Learn how to implement effective quality control strategies in laboratory operations and understand the impact it can have on your organization's success. Read on to discover the best practices and techniques for maintaining high-quality standards in your lab operations.

2. Quality Control is a critical element of laboratory operations. It is essential to ensure that the test
procedure and results are accurate, to maintain patient safety, and to provide physicians with the
information required to make informed decisions.
However, managing quality control is a tedious task and can be time-consuming. A commendable
Pathology Lab Software plays a critical role, in managing quality control at pathology labs, in each of their
operations.
This article elaborates on how quality control is maintained at labs, and what is required to achieve reliable
quality control while maintaining brand reputation.

4. Procedure to Maintain Quality Control at Labs
Following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Protocols - Every organization is known to have
a properly destined SOP to follow that guides them to achieve great results, in an organized manner.
Likewise, for a pathology lab to maintain high-quality control, it is vital to ensure adherence to the lab’s
SOPs and other protocols. This is done by providing a set of pre-maintained centralized repositories of
all relevant documents. This way, quality control is managed promptly by all the members in a consistent
and accurate manner.
Auto-tracking test procedures and results - A lab software is well known for its ability to track the test
procedure followed and the results to assist in deciding on further actions. Key metrics such as
turnaround time, accuracy, precision, etc., can be tracked and monitored, which in turn leads to the
sooner indication of abnormality in results, or even manual errors, if any. Thus it is relatively easy to
achieve accurate and reliable results from lab operations maintaining quality.
Centralized Data Management - A dependable LIMS offers a centralized repository of all of its testing
data that makes data management easy and increases the possibility of maintaining quality control. In
turn, analyzing data, identifying trends, and making informed decisions from the stored data is seamless,
which enhances productivity at lab operations. Appropriate data management assists in generating
reports and dashboards, that provide great insights into the lab’s performance.

5. Automated Alerts and Notifications - Lab software is designed to
notify of abnormality while analyzing the test samples, or when
critical values are encountered from the test results. Lab equipment
efficiency is also verified and alerts are made when there is a need
for a fix. This improves the efficiency of labs by alerting them to
unacceptable conditions, thereby focusing on maintaining the quality
standards of the lab.
Regulatory Requirement Compliance - For any facility to function
appropriately, it is critical to adhere to the regulatory requirements.
All these aspects are equally important in maintaining compliance
and improving quality control at the labs. A pathology lab software
can aid in achieving this promptly, as it is capable of guiding to
perform lab operations only as per the required regulatory
conditions.

6. Audit Trails - A lab software helps to track the details of
sample management as in who and what of the sample
testing, and the procedure followed thus maintaining the
audit trails. The lab staff are empowered by this data and
thus can respond positively towards inaccuracies, ensure
reliable and prompt handling of the test sample and follow
the correct procedure in the process.
Maintenance and Calibration of Lab Equipment - Lab
software can be designed to alert on upcoming schedules
made for equipment maintenance and calibration, track
and notify on equipment usage thereby keeping a check
on the equipment in the lab. Thus quality control is also
maintained as there is no cause for the improper
functioning of equipment that could lead to missed results.

7. Impact of Maintaining Quality Control
Improved Accuracy and Reliability - Quality Control procedures
ensure that analytical methods and equipment are working as
intended and the results are within bounds of accuracy and precision.
These procedures help to identify problems like equipment
malfunction or operator errors and make sure to take corrective
actions instantly.
Error Reduction - Performance monitoring, method validation, and
instrument calibration are a few techniques that can assist in
identifying errors that could compromise the precision and
dependability of analytical data. Eventually, it is possible to reduce the
chances of errors and improve the quality of the process and results.

8. Increased Efficiency - Assuring prompt performance of equipment and
following processes rightly, helps to reduce TAT and also to achieve more
tests within a timeframe. Ultimately, this results in improved efficiency thus
offering great patient care and high outcomes with quality results.
Regulatory Requirement Compliance - Maintaining quality control is
achieved by adhering to regulatory requirements and various industry
standards. This leads to seamless operations at labs, resulting in accurate
and reliable results.
Overall, quality control is an important aspect of testing and calibration at
diagnostic labs. A reliable pathology lab software can assist in achieving the
same by ensuring that the processes are followed perfectly, and all the critical
elements in lab operations are managed in an equally important manner.