Lecture
Reference Measurement Values as Quality Anchors: Benefits for Laboratory Medicine
- at -
- ICM Saal 4a
- Type: Lecture
Lecture description
Reference measurement values are essential quality anchors in laboratory medicine. They ensure traceability, standardization, and the clinical reliability of test results across analytical methods, laboratories, and time.
This presentation describes the conceptual and practical framework for establishing metrological traceability of routine assays through reference measurement procedures and hierarchies of commutable reference materials linked to higher‑order standards.
Such metrological traceability improves the comparability of measurement results and supports the definition and application of evidence‑based decision limits and reference intervals. This, in turn, enhances diagnostic accuracy, therapy monitoring, and the assessment of clinical outcomes.
Case examples illustrate both clinical and operational benefits, including reduced inter‑laboratory variability and more consistent interpretation of patient results.
A particular focus is placed on the role of reference measurement values in external quality assessment (EQA): Concrete examples demonstrate how metrologically traceable target values uncover method‑specific biases, support the verification of manufacturer claims, guide recalibration strategies, support the improvement of EQA scheme design and enable long‑term monitoring of analytical stability at the laboratory level.
Finally, persisting challenges in reference measurement systems are addressed, including the availability of reference materials and the critical role of commutability in establishing and maintaining valid metrological traceability. These aspects underscore the complexity of linking routine measurements to higher‑order standards and provide a natural transition to the subsequent presentation, which will focus on practical approaches to addressing these challenges.
This presentation describes the conceptual and practical framework for establishing metrological traceability of routine assays through reference measurement procedures and hierarchies of commutable reference materials linked to higher‑order standards.
Such metrological traceability improves the comparability of measurement results and supports the definition and application of evidence‑based decision limits and reference intervals. This, in turn, enhances diagnostic accuracy, therapy monitoring, and the assessment of clinical outcomes.
Case examples illustrate both clinical and operational benefits, including reduced inter‑laboratory variability and more consistent interpretation of patient results.
A particular focus is placed on the role of reference measurement values in external quality assessment (EQA): Concrete examples demonstrate how metrologically traceable target values uncover method‑specific biases, support the verification of manufacturer claims, guide recalibration strategies, support the improvement of EQA scheme design and enable long‑term monitoring of analytical stability at the laboratory level.
Finally, persisting challenges in reference measurement systems are addressed, including the availability of reference materials and the critical role of commutability in establishing and maintaining valid metrological traceability. These aspects underscore the complexity of linking routine measurements to higher‑order standards and provide a natural transition to the subsequent presentation, which will focus on practical approaches to addressing these challenges.
