External Quality Assessment Scheme for Transfusion Transmissible Infections Among Blood Service Facilities in the Philippines, 2018

External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) is an important and vital component of a quality system to which a retrospective and periodic assessment of quality can be undertaken by an independent external agency. The Transfusion Transmissible Infections–National Reference Laboratory (TTI-NRL) annually provides an EQAS program for transfusion transmissible infections to all blood service facilities in the Philippines as a requirement for the renewal of their license to operate and raise the quality standards of testing for infectious diseases. A total of 188 participants registered in the 2018 test event and were given an EQAS panel comprised of a serology program (HVHT4120) and malaria program (MLRA415). Results from the participants were submitted through an online informatics system managed by OneWorld Accuracy Canada using the ISO 13528:2008 Robust Statistics method (Huber’s Method). Results were analyzed and evaluated with the reference result from the TTI-NRL. The HVHT4120 program generated 15,330 results and the MLRA415 generated 940 results. 97 results (0.63%) and 80 results (8.51%) were reported as aberrant from each program respectively and were either due to random or systematic errors. The data generated from this test event are used for the improvement of the quality processes of each participant and the subsequent renewal of their license to operate as required by local health regulations.