1. Quality Management in a Laboratory A system of policies, procedures, and practices to ensure lab results are accurate, reliable, and consistent — covering personnel, equipment, reagents, and methods.

2. Quality Assurance (QA) & its Objective QA is the totality of arrangements made to ensure test results are reliable and fit for intended use. Objective: To detect and correct errors before results are reported, ensuring patient safety.

3. Accuracy The closeness of a measured value to the true (reference) value.

4. Precision The reproducibility of repeated measurements under the same conditions — how close results are to each other, regardless of the true value.

5. Internal Quality Control (IQC) Procedures performed within the lab (e.g., running control samples) to continuously monitor test performance and detect errors in real time.

6. External Quality Assessment (EQA) A system where an external organization sends unknown samples to multiple labs for testing; results are compared to evaluate and improve lab performance across institutions (e.g., WHO/EQAS programs).

1. Quality Management in a Lab System of policies and procedures to ensure accurate, reliable lab results.

2. Quality Assurance & Objective Arrangements to ensure test results are reliable. Objective: Prevent errors before results are reported.

3. Accuracy Closeness of a result to the true value.

4. Precision Reproducibility of repeated results under same conditions.

5. Internal Quality Control Running control samples within the lab to monitor and detect errors in real time.

6. External Quality Assurance External agency sends unknown samples to labs; results compared to assess lab performance.