A-210 Time, waste, and error efficiency assessments of InteliQ Multiqual tube-based quality control material

Abstract Background Accurate and timely patient results requires efficient quality control (QC) measures. Conventional Bio-Rad Multiqual Assayed (Multiqual) QC materials come in glass vials that necessitate several manual steps prior to analysis. Bio-Rad’s InteliQ Multiqual Assayed (InteliQ) QC is a plastic tube-based material that recently became available. The InteliQ design allows direct analyzer loading straight from the refrigerator. This study investigated if the new tube-based QC could improve technologist time, reduce QC laboratory waste and minimize handling errors. Methods Two levels of conventional Multiqual and InteliQ tube-based QC materials were analyzed in parallel, twice a day on an Abbott Alinity c analyzer for 21 days. Several chemistry analytes (n=23) were selected to compare percent coefficient of variation (CV) and false rejections between the two materials (rejection flags resolved after repeating QC only) (Table). Waste from the two QC formats was collected, including packaging, pipets, sample cups, QC vials, and QC tubes. A time study was conducted over the initial 5 days of the 21-day study to determine the total time and preparation touch points to analyze both materials. Results Conventional Multiqual QC had comparable performance characteristics to the InteliQ QC material. Several analytes (n=3) were noted with CVs greater than 5% with InteliQ compared to 1 analyte for Multiqual. Assays with false rejections were three-fold lower with Multiqual than InteliQ (2 vs 5 assays). Total waste generated from InteliQ (110.5 g) was 67% lower than the conventional material (331.5 g). The time study determined a total time savings of 60% when using the tube-based QC material (1.72 vs 2.85 mins) from initial preparation point to first analysis (8 vs 17 points). Conclusion InteliQ tube-based QC demonstrates similar performance characteristics when comparing to the conventional material with noted false rejection differences. The new material offers improvements in total preparation time and total waste generated.