scholarly journals Quality Management Systems for Laboratories and External Quality Assurance Programs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica Valdivieso-Gómez ◽  
Rocío Aguilar-Quesada
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
External Quality Assurance ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Quality Management Systems

scholarly journals Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Comparative Analysis of Provisions and Practices in Ghana   and New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Godwin Utuka
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
External Quality Assurance ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
The Government

<p>This research involves a comparative analysis of Ghanaian and New Zealand contexts and provisions of quality assurance in tertiary education. The study examined policies and practices of quality assurance in higher education in Ghana and New Zealand in order to identify those practices in New Zealand which are potentially applicable to the Ghanaian Higher Education context or which, at least, may suggest a direction for the Ghanaian government to consider for development. This study argues that although the management and practices of quality assurance in higher education in New Zealand are not without flaws, Ghana stands a better chance of tapping from the formers’ experiences in shaping its future policy direction. The quality of higher education and its improvement have always been issues of high priority on the political and educational agendas of the government and higher institutions in Ghana. Like other developing nations, Ghana has adopted various methodologies to address the question of quality in higher education similar to those in Western countries. The government of Ghana established a national quality assurance agency, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to be responsible for quality assurance in higher education. Higher educational institutions have also adopted various processes and practices for the assurance of quality of the education provided. However, despite the fact that the literature on quality assurance framework in higher education is growing, little is available in the literature on what Ghana is doing to regulate and improve higher education quality and what has been the impact of NAB since its inception in 1993. In addition, a formal study of the commonality or diversity of approaches between Ghana and any developed nation has been lacking. A qualitative methodology was used to gain the perceptions of key practitioners in quality management systems in the two countries. Interview and documentary analysis were the main research instruments employed for data collection. The study analysed the views of a range of respondents from Ghana and New Zealand and documents from selected tertiary institutions and external quality assurance agencies in the two countries. A comparative analysis of data revealed some gaps and challenges in the Ghanaian system. This study found that though NAB has made significant impacts on the quality regime of the higher education sector in Ghana since its inception, the processes of quality management demands remains a challenge to both the institutions and NAB and much remains to be done for improvement. Quality of provision at the institutional level (internal structures, documented policies, external involvement, conduct of self assessment), and at the national level (regular monitoring, change in compliance approach, adequate qualified staff etc) are key areas requiring urgent policy attention if Ghana is to achieve the objectives of its tertiary educational reforms. On the basis of empirical evidence and life experiences from the respondents, a contribution would be made to the design of higher education policy-making with regard to the improvement of the internal and external quality assurance practices in higher education in Ghana. This study has further contributed to quality assurance literature by critically examining and comparing life responses of respondents from two countries viv-a-vis the international trend before making its recommendations. This study has further deepened the understanding of quality management practices in higher education in the two countries involved in this study.</p>

scholarly journals ІНТЕГРАЦІЯ ВИМОГ СТАНДАРТІВ НАТО СЕРІЇ AQAP 2000 У СИСТЕМУ УПРАВЛІННЯ ЯКІСТЮ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА З ВИРОБНИЦТВА ВІЙСЬКОВОЇ ТЕХНІКИ

2020 ◽  
pp. 102-108
Author(s):  
Ольга Володимирівна Нємченко ◽  
Альона Юріївна Кисилевська ◽  
Віталій Леонідович Костенко
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Quality Management System ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Iso 9001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Quality Management Systems ◽  
Government Quality

In recent years, the security and defense sector of Ukraine has been undergoing reforms aimed at gaining the country's membership in the NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization. One of the many aspects of these reforms is the introduction of some specific standards, in particular, the AQAP 2000 series standards in the quality management systems of military equipment enterprises. In the case of implementation of several international standards at the enterprise, there is a need to create integrated quality management systems. The article presents options for implementing two or more standards in the QMS of the enterprise, analyzes their disadvantages and advantages. The main requirements of the AQAP 2110 standard, which should be integrated with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard in the context of the PDCA cycle ("Plan-Do-Check-Act"), are considered. The stages of the implementation of integrated QMS are described. The scheme of deliveries of products to the customer in which there is a certification of the quality management system of the manufacturer (supplier) by the external body on conformity assessment, control over the quality of production by military representation, and the government quality assurance GQA has resulted. Government quality assurance GQA means that the authorized national body carries out the process of assessing the conformity of the quality management system of the manufacturer (supplier) to the requirements of ISO 9001 and NATO standards AQAP 2000, which allows the customer to gain confidence in the quality of defense products. A special requirement is to draw up a Quality Plan, which defines the activities, processes, resources, responsibilities of the manufacturer, etc., to convince the customer and the GQA representative that the company can manufacture and supply products of appropriate quality and on time, because in case of defective products or failure to deliver is lost time for a replacement or waiting, and this is a constant risk to the country's combat readiness. Requirements for the content and design of the Quality Plan are given in the standard AQAP 2105. In addition to the above, the following specific requirements of AQAP 2110 are analyzed as the operation of the metrological support system at the enterprise according to DSTU ISO 10012, product configuration management with software according to ACMP 2100, risk management, etc.

scholarly journals Management of the quality control and safety of medical activities in the field of «oncology» on the example of Western European countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 311-317
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Andreev ◽  
Aleksandr A. Zavyalov ◽  
Asan Yu. Kashurnikov
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Patient Needs ◽  
Quality Management Systems ◽  
Qualified Personnel ◽  
Key Phrases

Introduction. Quality assurance plays a pivotal role in the health industry. The countries of Western Europe demonstrate good outcomes of cancer care. The purpose of the study. This paper focuses on various backbones of quality assurance systems in oncology in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Material and methods. Authors retrieved information from PubMed (Medline), Google, and public websites. The key phrases related to the organization of quality management systems for cancer care were used. About 40 informational sources were selected, including scientific articles and media. Discussion. All reviewed countries equipped with the quality management structures affecting such cancer care aspects as: •Creating regulatory acts and policy for next-generation healthcare in oncology; •Employing the top-qualified personnel; •Updating the clinical guidelines and improving medical processes; •Organizing the cyclical processes for monitoring the quality of cancer care and patient needs; •Implementing the innovations; •Implementing the principles of «transparency» in assessing the quality of cancer care. Conclusion. It seems logical to further study Western Europe’s experience in developing quality management systems for cancer care.

scholarly journals Implementation of quality management systems and progress towards accreditation of National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratories in Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Albert ◽  
Jean De Dieu Iragena ◽  
Kekeletso Kao ◽  
Donatelle Erni ◽  
Teferi Mekonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Susceptibility Testing ◽  
Drug Susceptibility ◽  
Drug Susceptibility Testing ◽  
External Quality Assurance ◽  
External Quality ◽  
National Tuberculosis ◽  
Line Drug

Background: Laboratory services are essential at all stages of the tuberculosis care cascade, from diagnosis and drug resistance testing to monitoring response to treatment. Enabling access to quality services is a challenge in low-resource settings. Implementation of a strong quality management system (QMS) and laboratory accreditation are key to improving patient care.Objectives: The study objective was to determine the status of QMS implementation and progress towards accreditation of National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratories (NTRLs) in the African Region.Method: An online questionnaire was administered to NTRL managers in 47 World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa member states in the region, between February and April 2015, regarding the knowledge of QMS tools and progress toward implementation to inform strategies for tuberculosis diagnostic services strengthening in the region.Results: A total of 21 laboratories (43.0%) had received SLMTA/TB-SLMTA training, of which 10 had also used the Global Laboratory Initiative accreditation tool. However, only 36.7% of NTRLs had received a laboratory audit, a first step in quality improvement. Most NTRLs participated in acid-fast bacilli microscopy external quality assurance (95.8%), although external quality assurance for other techniques was lower (60.4% for first-line drug susceptibility testing, 25.0% for second-line drug susceptibility testing, and 22.9% for molecular testing). Barriers to accreditation included lack of training and accreditation programmes. Only 28.6%of NTRLs had developed strategic plans and budgets which included accreditation.Conclusion: Good foundations are in place on the continent from which to scale up accreditation efforts. Laboratory audits should be conducted as a first step in developing quality improvement action plans. Political commitment and strong leadership are needed to drive accreditation efforts; advocacy will require clear evidence of patient impact and cost-benefit.

scholarly journals Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Comparative Analysis of Provisions and Practices in Ghana   and New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Godwin Utuka
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
External Quality Assurance ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
The Government

<p>This research involves a comparative analysis of Ghanaian and New Zealand contexts and provisions of quality assurance in tertiary education. The study examined policies and practices of quality assurance in higher education in Ghana and New Zealand in order to identify those practices in New Zealand which are potentially applicable to the Ghanaian Higher Education context or which, at least, may suggest a direction for the Ghanaian government to consider for development. This study argues that although the management and practices of quality assurance in higher education in New Zealand are not without flaws, Ghana stands a better chance of tapping from the formers’ experiences in shaping its future policy direction. The quality of higher education and its improvement have always been issues of high priority on the political and educational agendas of the government and higher institutions in Ghana. Like other developing nations, Ghana has adopted various methodologies to address the question of quality in higher education similar to those in Western countries. The government of Ghana established a national quality assurance agency, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to be responsible for quality assurance in higher education. Higher educational institutions have also adopted various processes and practices for the assurance of quality of the education provided. However, despite the fact that the literature on quality assurance framework in higher education is growing, little is available in the literature on what Ghana is doing to regulate and improve higher education quality and what has been the impact of NAB since its inception in 1993. In addition, a formal study of the commonality or diversity of approaches between Ghana and any developed nation has been lacking. A qualitative methodology was used to gain the perceptions of key practitioners in quality management systems in the two countries. Interview and documentary analysis were the main research instruments employed for data collection. The study analysed the views of a range of respondents from Ghana and New Zealand and documents from selected tertiary institutions and external quality assurance agencies in the two countries. A comparative analysis of data revealed some gaps and challenges in the Ghanaian system. This study found that though NAB has made significant impacts on the quality regime of the higher education sector in Ghana since its inception, the processes of quality management demands remains a challenge to both the institutions and NAB and much remains to be done for improvement. Quality of provision at the institutional level (internal structures, documented policies, external involvement, conduct of self assessment), and at the national level (regular monitoring, change in compliance approach, adequate qualified staff etc) are key areas requiring urgent policy attention if Ghana is to achieve the objectives of its tertiary educational reforms. On the basis of empirical evidence and life experiences from the respondents, a contribution would be made to the design of higher education policy-making with regard to the improvement of the internal and external quality assurance practices in higher education in Ghana. This study has further contributed to quality assurance literature by critically examining and comparing life responses of respondents from two countries viv-a-vis the international trend before making its recommendations. This study has further deepened the understanding of quality management practices in higher education in the two countries involved in this study.</p>

Quality assurance in clinical biochemistry

1993 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 251-261
Author(s):  
Callum G. Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Clinical Biochemistry ◽  
External Quality Assessment ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Quality Management Systems ◽  
Numerical Result ◽  
Biochemistry Test

SynopsisThere are many steps in the process between the clinician requesting a clinical biochemistry test and receiving a numerical result. Each of these steps must be subject to quality assurance techniques. Clinical biochemistry laboratories now have mature, integrated systems of internal quality control, external quality assessment and quality assurance to ensure that the results issued do aid in the provision of optimum patient care. The recent advent of a professionally led laboratory accreditation scheme will stimulate further improvements in quality. Enthusiastic adoption of the techniques of quality management science, in the form of total quality management systems, will focus future attention on laboratories providing services to the standards dictated by consumers. Translation of these standards into objective operational specifications will then allow laboratories to adopt appropriate comprehensive quality assurance techniques which will guarantee the quality demanded.

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