Requirements for Quality Control, External Quality Assurance and Method Evaluation (Sixth Edition 2018)

This document is issued by the National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) for the guidance of laboratories in Australia in providing the minimum standards considered acceptable for Quality Assurance, Internal Quality Assurance and assessing the participation of pathology laboratories in external quality assessment programs.

Page last updated: 27 June 2018

The Requirements for Quality Control, External Quality Assurance and Method Evaluation outlines the general features that an internal quality control system and an external quality assessment program must have in order to provide an effective monitoring strategy for the various pathology disciplines. This document also provides guidance on method evaluation for laboratories.

The Requirements reflect a risk based approach to the accreditation framework, with primary consideration given to ensuring patient welfare through the interrelationship and contemporary practice of Quality Control, Internal Quality Assurance and External Quality Assurance.

This document must be read in conjunction with the Tier 2 document - Requirements for Medical Pathology Services.

This document comes into effect on 1 December 2018.

Requirements for Quality Control, External Quality Assurance and Method Evaluation (Sixth Edition 2018) (PDF 171 KB)
Requirements for Quality Control, External Quality Assurance and Method Evaluation (Sixth Edition 2018) (Word 79 KB)

If you have any difficulty accessing these documents please contact NPAAC Secretariat.