internal quality control

Full Definition

Internal quality control encompasses the systematic procedures used by newborn screening laboratories to ensure accurate and precise test results, including the use of control materials, calibrators, and statistical monitoring of analytical performance. These measures include daily quality control samples, Levy-Jennings charts, and Westgard rules to detect systematic errors or drift in assay performance before results are released.

Usage

Usage note: Distinguish from external proficiency testing programs when editing quality documents.

In Context

• "The internal quality control data showed acceptable precision for all amino acid assays this month." — Laboratory quality report
• "Failure of internal quality control requires investigation and potential repeat of affected patient samples." — Standard operating procedure