How compliant are you with all your clinical equipment validation (including the point of care equipment)? The equipment validation process is a crucial component in any clinical laboratory practice; any serious deficiency in equipment validation could threaten the business continuance of the institution. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations set standards on test systems, equipment, instruments, reagents, materials, and supplies for clinical laboratories. Laboratories must properly qualify, monitor, and verify or establish performance specifications for any test systems used for patient testing. The federal regulations and explanation for Verification of Performance Specification and Calibration and Calibration Verifications (as well as other CLIA regulations) can be found on the CMS website.
New equipment comes to the laboratory with settings already in place by the manufacturer. For example, urine drug screen analytes may be preset at certain cutoff levels. It is the laboratory’s responsibility to recheck all new equipment validation on all the so called “manufacturer settings.” A detailed guidance document on equipment validation was published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in August 2011. QMS13A (formerly GP37A Equipment Validation) outlines the equipment validation process into several crucial validation components: Selection Qualification (SQ), Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification, and Performance Qualification (PQ).
Laboratories should start a strategic and simple approach to equipment validation with a validation master plan (VMP). This plan provides a structured approach to equipment validation that will allow many problems to be addressed before they become crises. It also assures equipment needs (functional, business and technical) are met. A VMP should:
- Be approved by the laboratory’s medical director.
- Appropriately assess and mitigate any potential hazards.
- Establish policies and procedures.
- Assign equipment data reviews.
- Include personnel training for all shifts.
- Comply with all patient safety requirements.
- Outline the timeframe from equipment acquisition to “go live” date.
- Include accuracy and precision studies.
- Specify the reportable range and normal values for all analytes.
Typically, 20 samples for each level of normal and abnormal results should be tested for accuracy and precision studies. Clinical equipment should never be used for patient testing until all validation processes reviewed, assessed and approved by the appropriate medical lab director. When determining the reportable range, calibrators and samples should reflect the full range. For example, if the manufacturer suggests a reportable range for glucose of 10 mg/dl to 600 mg/dl, having the lowest sample test at 50 mg/dl would be unacceptable.
In summary, creating and designing a good VMP can save all the agonies and time spent in later future in equipment validation in any clinical laboratory or point of care department. Once one successful VMP have been accomplished and produced, future equipment validation would become much easier and manageable. The overall process would ultimately assure accuracy and reliability of the equipment system in the institution, thereby improving patient safety.
Information on policies or practices are solely from my personal experience ONLY and have NO relation to my affiliation with any regulatory or government agency.
-Caroline Satyadi, MT(ASCP), SM, DLM, SLS, MBA, MS, CQA (ASQ) has been a laboratory management professional for over 25 years. She has worked with several different medical industries for CLIA/CMS, FDA/ICH/ISO, TJC/CAP/COLA/HFAP accreditation survey readiness.
Lablogatory 