Point of view on measurement uncertainty in terms of quality management

• Main Authors: Rohini, Radhika
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: KIMS Foundation and Research Center 2015-10-01
• Series: Journal of Medical and Scientific Research
• Subjects: measurement uncertainty; bias; lab errors; quality management
• Online Access: http://jmsronline.com/article.aspx?ID=Point-of-view-on-measurement-uncertainty-in-terms-of-quality-management
• ISSN: 2321-1326; 2394-112X

All types of measurements have some inaccuracy due to bias and imprecision. Quality control (QC) checks are meant to watch and establish precision of the test results. When we speak of a measurement, we often want to know how reliable it is. We need some way of judging the relative worth of a measurement. Traditionally, there has been the concept of error, but the term ‘error’ implies that the difference between the true value and a test result can be determined and the result corrected, which is rarely the case. In contrast, the more recent concept of measurement is, measurement uncertainty (MU) which is a non-negative parameter characterizing the dispersion of the values attributed to a measured quantity. Uncertainty of measurement is new to the medical laboratory. It represents the expected variability in a laboratory result if the test is repeated second time. Hence, it is the measure of precision measured in terms of standard deviation (SD). It provides quantitative estimates of the level of confidence that a laboratory has in the analytical precision of test results, and is therefore an essential component of a quality system for medical laboratories. The laboratory should focus to minimize the uncertainties for improving the overall performance.