Análisis de resultados del Programa Externo de Control de Calidad SEIMC, año 2006

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) includes the areas of serology, bacteriology (trimonthly and monthly), virology, parasitology, mycology, molecular microbiology, and mycobacterial bacteriology. In 2006, new procedures for the quantitative determination of the viral load of HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus were launched. In this article, the most important conclusions and lessons learned from the program in 2006 are presented. As a whole, the results obtained confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards of the participants found in previous years. Nevertheless, as in any external quality control program, this analysis shows that erroneous results can occur in any laboratory, even in critical determinations. A few deviations were observed in some procedures and areas, calling for critical reflection. Once again, the need to combine routine internal quality control with external quality control, such as the SEIMC program, is highlighted.