Benefits for Laboratories participating in

Proficiency Testing Programs

Benefits for Laboratories participating in
Proficiency Testing Programs

While some laboratories may view participation in proficiency testing (PT) programs
as a necessity to satisfy accreditation bodies, they could be overlooking the more
fundamental benefits that can be achieved by taking part in well-designed PT programs.

Clearly, laboratories are the major stakeholders in PT program participation, but there
may be other stakeholders, who also have a major interest in such programs and in
the performance of laboratories involved.

The figure below illustrates the various parties who may have an interest in PT
programs. However, it is the intention of this short paper to highlight the potential
benefits for laboratories.

Accreditation PT Professional
Bodies Providers Bodies

Reference Material Standards

Laboratories Producers

Direct Customers
(Test Users)

Indirect Customers
(eg Regulators)
Benefits of participation

The following are some of the potential benefits which may be available to participating
laboratories:

Confirming competent performance

Identifying testing or measurement problems
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Comparing methods and procedures

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Improving performance
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Educating staff
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Instilling confidence in staff, management and external users of laboratory services

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Comparing operator capabilities

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Generating reference materials

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Determining method precision and accuracy

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Satisfying regulators and accreditation bodies

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Providing laboratories with additional risk management

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While not all of the above will be relevant for individual PT programs, some of the above
benefits will be ongoing benefits available to participants from program to program.

Confirming Competent Performance

The basic purpose of proficiency testing is to assess the performance of laboratories for their
conduct of specific test, measurements or calibrations. Many laboratories operate in isolation
from other laboratories and do not have ongoing opportunities to compare their data with
others. Without such opportunities there are risks that a laboratory’s data may have errors,
biases or significant differences compared to similar laboratories.

Proficiency testing provides an opportunity to undertake such comparisons and to have an

independent appraisal of the laboratory’s data compared to reference values (or other
performance criteria) or to the performance of similar laboratories. The results from such
participation provide laboratory managers with either a confirmation that the laboratory’s
performance is satisfactory or an alert that an investigation of potential problems within the
laboratory is required.

If the proficiency testing program is an ongoing program, participation also provides laboratory
management with continuous monitoring of the comparability of the laboratory’s data and of
its continuing effectiveness, or otherwise, in the relevant tests or measurements involved.

If competent performance is demonstrated, this, in turn, leads to a number of other potential

benefits as discussed in the following pages.
Identifying Testing or Measurement Problems
(as a risk management and performance improvement tool)

If a laboratory’s results in a proficiency testing program indicate that its data is not
comparable to reference values or other performance criteria, the resulting investigation
offers an opportunity for the laboratory to identify potential sources of error or the
circumstances that precipitated the unsatisfactory performance.

Without participation in the proficiency testing program, such sources of error could remain
undetected and the laboratory would not have been able to undertake appropriate corrective
actions. This, in turn, could have resulted in the laboratory continuing to provide poor results
to its clients or other stakeholders. Eventually, such errors could also lead to the loss of
reputation of the laboratory or to legal or other action being taken by the clients or other
stakeholders, such as regulatory bodies. In this regard the use of proficiency testing may be
considered to be a risk management and quality improvement tool.

Comparing Methods or Procedures

For some laboratories, their participation might be used to trial their performance using a new
or irregularly conducted test or measurement. In other cases, the participation may provide
an opportunity to compare the results achieved by the laboratory using different methods (or
different concentration levels etc) to those normally used by the laboratory.

The program itself might, in some cases, provide summaries and comparisons of all
laboratories’ methods. For new or unusual activities, such data could be most valuable and
assist the future selection of appropriate methodology by the laboratory or indicate the need
for additional investigation before adoption of new methods.

Improving Performance

When a laboratory is not satisfied with its own results in a proficiency testing program, this
provides an opportunity for the laboratory’s management to investigate areas where its future
testing could be improved. This might, for example, include additional operator training,
adoption of new or modified methods, enhancing internal quality control of data, equipment
modifications, calibration or replacement etc.
Educating Staff

Many proficiency testing programs have, as one of their objectives, provision of information
on methodology, data interpretation, uncertainty assignments etc which arise from the overall
results in the program, or which are provided by experts involved in evaluating such results.
Some programs have a comprehensive educational role for participants and individual operators.

Instilling Confidence in Staff, Management, and External Users of Laboratory

Services

Successful performance in a proficiency test can provide individual staff and their direct
managers with additional confidence. Other management, including those without relevant
technical expertise, can also be re-assured by their laboratory’s staff successful performance,
often in areas of critical significance to their organization’s activities and responsibilities.

External users of laboratory services, including their clients and the parties affected by the
outcomes of testing, can also be given added confidence when made aware that a laboratory
is willing to have its testing or measurement performance regularly evaluated through
proficiency testing.

Comparing Operator Capabilities

When sufficient test material (or access to measurement) is available to more than one
operator within a participating laboratory, the laboratory has the added benefit of being able
to compare the results of its operators on test materials which are also being tested or
measured by other external laboratories. This can assist the laboratory to not only compare
the performance of its own operators, but might also provide some inputs to the laboratory’s
estimates of its measurement uncertainty for the relevant tests.

This might also allow the laboratory to evaluate the between-operator repeatability achieved
by the laboratory compared to published (or otherwise available) data for the test methods
concerned.

Generating Reference Materials

In some proficiency testing programs, where there is sufficient, stable material provided to
participants, the un-used material could be useful for internal quality control monitoring of
testing as a form of reference material.
Where appropriate, the reference values assigned to the material (or the consensus values
achieved during the proficiency test) might be considered useful as internal reference values
for quality control of testing, operator training etc.

Determining Method Precision and Accuracy

Depending on the design of the proficiency test, some programs will be useful in determining
the precision (repeatability and reproducibility) or comparative accuracy of the methods used
in the program. Often, such information is not published or otherwise generally available.

Satisfying Regulators and Accreditation Bodies

Finally, the successful performance of a laboratory in a proficiency test (or its effective
correction of testing problems after an unsuccessful performance) may provide regulators
and accreditation bodies with confidence in the laboratories whose data they endorse or
otherwise recognize. The clear benefit for the laboratories is the continuation of their standing
as competent organizations.

However, the internal benefits to laboratories, their staff and management (as discussed in
this paper), should be of most value if they view proficiency testing as a vital tool for ongoing
maintenance of confidence and improvement, irrespective of whether or not the laboratory
needs to participate for accreditation purposes.

How to find a suitable PT programme

If you are looking for competent suppliers of proficiency testing programs, the signatory
search directory on the ILAC website provides links to the online directories of accreditation
bodies currently providing accreditation for these activities. This directory can be searched
using the 'scope' function to find accreditation bodies currently accrediting proficiency testing
providers and signatory to the ILAC MRA for this activity.

The scope of accreditation will in turn identify the proficiency testing schemes the proficiency
testing provider is competent to provide.
About ILAC

ILAC facilitates trade and supports regulators by operating a worldwide mutual recognition
arrangement – the ILAC Arrangement – among Accreditation Bodies (ABs) in order to ensure
that the data and test results issued by laboratories and inspection bodies and the
proficiency testing programs provided by proficiency testing providers, collectively known as
Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), accredited by ILAC Accreditation Body members are
accepted globally. Thereby, technical barriers to trade, such as the re-testing of products
each time they enter a new economy is reduced, in support of realising the free-trade goal of
“accredited once, accepted everywhere”.

In addition, accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring that
accredited CABs are competent to carry out the work they undertake within their scope of
accreditation.

Further, the results from accredited facilities are used extensively by regulators for the public
benefit in the provision of services that promote an unpolluted environment, safe food, clean
water, energy, health and social care services.

ABs that are members of ILAC and the CABs they accredit are required to comply with
appropriate international standards and the applicable ILAC application documents for the
consistent application of those standards.

ILAC is the global association for the accreditation of laboratories, inspection bodies,
proficiency testing providers and reference material producers, with a membership consisting
of accreditation bodies and stakeholder organisations throughout the world.

It is a representative organisation that is involved with:

The development of accreditation practices and procedures,

The promotion of accreditation as a trade facilitation tool,
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Supporting the provision of local and national services,

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The assistance of developing accreditation systems,

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The recognition of competent testing (including medical) and calibration laboratories,

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Inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers

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Around the world.

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ILAC actively cooperates with other relevant international organisations in pursuing these aims.

ABs having signed the ILAC Arrangement are subject to peer evaluation via formally
established and recognised regional cooperation bodies using ILAC rules and procedures
prior to becoming a signatory to the ILAC Arrangement.
The ILAC Secretariat
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ILAC B6: 06/2019