Digital Quality Control Tool Identifies Cells in Blood

An External Quality Assurance (EQA) program in hematology is web-based and located on a cloud server. It can be run from any computer without the need for software installation.

The program is online, which means that the quality organization can more easily collect and create a customized database of interesting patient cases. The program uses digital images of white and red cells in blood and other body fluids.

CellaVision (Lund, Sweden) has signed an agreement with Equalis (Uppsala, Sweden), a provider of external quality assessment for clinical laboratory tests. Equalis is investing in CellaVision's new proficiency testing program for the identification of cells in blood and other body fluids, CellaVision Proficiency Software. The order comprises a license for 350 users. During the year, the product will be introduced into Equalis' quality assurance scheme for Swedish clinical laboratories in Hematology.

When compared to the traditional testing methods which use blood smears on glass slides, this software is efficient, user friendly, and allows all participants to view and identify the same cells. This simplifies administration, performance, and monitoring of the test, as well as creating conditions for faster analysis and more accurate reporting.

"With CellaVision Proficiency Software, we reach out easily to our scheme participants in hematology and can offer them a digital quality control tool that creates conditions for increased knowledge and more standardized test results," said Gunnar Nordin, managing director and CMO at Equalis. "One of the great benefits of the program, in addition to allowing us to easily distribute, monitor, and follow up tests on-line, is that participants get instant feedback on their performance in form of valuable statistics. The program is both a testing tool and a source to increase knowledge."

CellaVision Proficiency Software is sold as an annual license directly by CellaVision. The program is available in two versions, the Enterprise Edition for external quality assessment organizations with up to 2000 users, and the Professional Edition for laboratories and universities with 10–100 users. The Professional Edition includes a customized web portal. More information can be found online (Please see Related Links below).

Equalis is a not-for-profit organization that provides external quality assessment of clinical laboratory investigations. It is accredited by Swedac as a provider of interlaboratory comparisons in laboratory medicine. Now Equalis will incorporate the CellaVision Proficiency Software in its quality assessment program for hematology analyses.

CellaVision is a medical technology company that develops and sells its own systems for routine analysis of blood and other body fluids in health care services. The products rationalize manual laboratory work, and secure and support effective workflows and skills development within and between hospitals.

Related Links:
CellaVision
CellaVison Proficiency Software
Equalis