Six-sigma and quality planning of TORCH tests in the Peruvian population: a single-center cross-sectional study

Jeel Moya-Salazar, Bianca M. SantaMaria, Marcia M. Moya-Salazar, Víctor Rojas-Zumaran, Karina Chicoma-Flores, Hans Contreras-Pulache

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To ensure the health of newborns, it is necessary to perform high-quality diagnostic tests. The TORCH panel is a set of tests that identifies infectious pathogens such as Toxoplasma (Toxo) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) that are common in low-setting populations. We performed TORCH panel quality planning using six sigma in a reference laboratory at Peru. Results: This was a cross-sectional study. TORCH tests include Toxo, Rubella, CMV, and Herpes. We processed all samples by fourth-generation ELISA on the GEMINI XCR200 analyzer (Diatron, Budapest, Hungary). We obtained the imprecision from the annual data of the external quality assessment plan and we used the CLSI EP12-A3 guideline. In a total of 44,788 analyses, the average imprecision was 3.69 ± 1.47%, and CMV had lower imprecision (2.3 and 2.6% for IgM and IgG, respectively). Quality planning of the TORCH panel allowed estimating the sigma value that ranged from 4 to 10 (average 7 ± 2 sigma), where rubella had the highest values (10 for IgM and 8 for IgG) while HSV2 had the lowest values (4 for IgM and 5 for IgG). Our results suggest the optimal performance of half of the markers including Toxoplasma, Rubella, and CMV in the Peruvian population.

Original languageEnglish
Article number16
JournalBMC Research Notes
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
  • Quality assurance
  • Quality management
  • Six sigma
  • Toxoplasma

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