The Italian pilot external quality assessment program for cystic fibrosis sweat test

• Description of the Italian pilot EQA program for CF sweat test
• The format is prospective and involved 10 Italian CF Referral Centers.
• The program identified important areas of interest and, in some case, of concern.
• Data collected highlight the importance of participation in EQA programs

ObjectivesSweat chloride test is the gold standard test for cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis. In 2014 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità established the Italian pilot external quality assessment program for CF sweat test (IEQA-ST).Design and methodsTen laboratories, included among the 33 Italian CF Referral Centers, were selected and enrolled on the basis of their attitude to perform sweat test (ST) analysis by using methods recommended by the Italian Guidelines. They received three different sweat-like samples (normal, borderline and pathologic chloride concentration), with mock clinical indications, for analysis according to routine procedures. Assessment, performed by a panel of experts, covered analytical performance, interpretation and reporting of results; categories of “poor” and “satisfactory” performance were not defined. All data were managed through a web utility.ResultsThe program identified important areas of interest and, in some case, of concern. It is important to underline that results are referred to a small proportion, i.e. about 30%, of Italian laboratories performing CF ST in the context of the Referral Centers.ConclusionsData collected highlight the importance of participation in EQA programs as it may improve laboratory/clinical performance; our study represents a model for the setting up of a large-scale EQA scheme for ST.