Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards Committee

The Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards (QALS) Committee is concerned with quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in veterinary laboratory diagnostic testing. Committee members include board-certified veterinary clinical pathologists, medical technologists, and clinical pathology residents. The committee develops quality assurance guidelines with recommendations and checklists to promote and enhance QA/QC within laboratories performing diagnostic testing of animal samples. Our efforts have resulted in development of guidelines for the ASVCP that are freely available via the ASVCP website and as Special Reports in the journal Veterinary Clinical Pathology.  The committee also has an advisory role for the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) and the Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians (AVCPT). As for the other ASVCP committees, QALS periodically organizes pre-meeting workshops on quality assurance and standards at the annual ASVCP/ACVP meeting.

2017-2018 QALS Committee Members

Survey Results

March 2017 Summary of Survey on Use of the ASVCP Quality Assurance and Standard Guidelines

Guidelines & Subcommittee activities

Posted and published

All available for download at ASVCP QALS Guidelines page

• ASVCP Draw Order Guidelines for Coagulation Sampling

• Camus MS, Flatland B, Freeman KP, Cruz-Cardona JA. ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: external quality assessment and comparative testing for reference and in-clinic laboratories. Vet Clin Pathol 2015;44(4):477-492.
  • External Quality Assurance Guideline Compliance Checklist 
• Flatland B, Freeman KP, Vap, LM, Harr KE. ASVCP guidelines: quality assurance for point-of-care testing in veterinary medicine. Vet Clin Pathol 2013 405-423
  • Point-of-Care Testing Compliance Checklist
  • Point-of-Care Example Forms and Logs
• Friedrichs KR, Harr KE, Freeman KP, Szladovits B, Walton RM, Barnhart K, Blanco-Chavez J. ASVCP reference interval guidelines: determination of de novo reference intervals in veterinary species and other related topics. Vet Clin Pathol 2012;41(4):441-53
  • RI Addendum: Hematology Reference Intervals for sample sizes n=10-20 (excel spreadsheet)
• Gerber KL, Freeman KP. ASVCP guidelines: quality assurance for portable blood glucose meter (glucometer) use in veterinary medicine. Vet Clin Pathol 2016;45(1):10-27.
  • Glucometer Guideline Compliance Checklist
• Harr KE, Flatland B, Nabity M, Freeman KP. ASVCP guidelines: Allowable total error guidelines for biochemistry. Vet Clin Pathol 2013 424-436
  • Allowable Total Error Worksheet
• Nabity MB, Harr KE, Camus MS, Flatland B, Vap LM. ASVCP guidelines: Allowable total error hematology. Vet Clin Pathol 2018;47(1):9-21.
• Principles of Quality Assurance and Standards for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (available in English, German, Spanish, French and Portuguese)
  • Flatland B, Freeman K, Friedrichs KR, Vap LM, Getzy KM, Evans EW, Harr KE. ASVCP quality asurance guidelines: control of general analytical factors in veterinary laboratories. Vet Clin Pathol 2010;39(3):264-77.
  • Gunn-Christie RG, Freeman K, Routsalo K, Friedrichs KR, Knoll J, Wamsley H, Harr K. ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical and analytical factors for clinical chemistry, urinalysis, and cytology in veterinary laboratories. Vet Clin Pathol 2012;41(1):18-26.
  • Vap LM, Harr K, Friedrichs KR, Arnold J. ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical factors in veterinary laboratories related to hematology for mammalian and non-mammalian species, hemostasis, and crossmatching. Vet Clin Pathol 2012;41(1):8-17.

Drafts in progress

• Revision of Principles of Quality Assurance and Standards for Veterinary Clinical Pathology