Invitation to participate in a European quality survey and database

Quality assurance in genetic services

There is at present no simple and reliable way to identify, for a particular diagnostic test, a laboratory with a strong quality system, nor conversely to determine for a given laboratory what is included in its Quality Assurance (QAu) system. For example, does a laboratory participate in external quality assessment (EQA) schemes or is it accredited?

Being able to obtain this information is important:

• for consumers (patients, doctors, laboratories, etc.), to facilitate an informed choice of a laboratory partner for performing genetic tests which cannot be performed locally;
• for the general public and politicians, to educate them about the importance given to quality issues by our profession;
• for the laboratories themselves, to valorize and provide recognition of their effort and investment in quality assurance.

EuroGentest is performing a survey of the status of Quality Assurance in European genetic laboratories, and will make this information available through a European QAu database developed by EuroGentest and Orphanet. We believe this QAu database will become an essential resource for genetics and other health-care professionals worldwide, as well as for patients and families.

The data is also being shared with Orphanet, who are incorporating it in their database of genetics services.

Finally, the data is being used (anonymously) as a research tool, to follow the development of quality assurance in European genetic services over the years. For this reason, we encourage you to participate in the survey, even if you decide in the future not to be listed in the public database.

How can you participate?

We would like to include all laboratories offering any form of genetic testing (molecular, cytogenetic, biochemical) in the European QAu database. Our survey, as a web form, was sent to thousands of laboratories in Europe offering genetic testing.

We apologize if you or your lab did not receive the questionnaire, and we invite you to contact us through this link to include your laboratory:

Please contact about the QAu questionnaire

EuroGentest Unit 1 QAu database workgroup
Dr Anniek Corveleyn, Dr Michael Morris, Dr Elisabeth Dequeker

Technical support: Nick Nagels, David Bishop

Collaborators and partners

Waypoint Systems, Orphanet, UKNEQAS, CF Network, EMQN
National Genetics Societies of Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Serbia & Montenegro
Many EuroGentest collaborators

Last changed: 2008-02-15