IMPLEMENTING COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY-CONTROL IN THE ANDROLOGY LABORATORY

Comprehensive quality control procedures were integrated into the rout ine semen analysis workload of a large university-based andrology labo ratory, Methods were chosen to match as far as possible those which ha ve been used successfully for many years in disciplines such as clinic al chemistry, Levey-Jennings and cusum charts were plotted in order to monitor the immunobead-binding test for antisperm antibodies and a vi deo-taped control sample for computerized semen analysis, A cryopreser ved semen control was also charted, Daily manual sperm counts were plo tted against the corresponding computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) value, Multiple readings of 30 slides were used to monitor morphology assessments. Monthly means for morphology were also calculated regula rly, Coefficients of variation were calculated for all variables and w ere found to be more appropriate for some aspects, such as CASA, than for others, such as morphology, when difference from the previous read ing of the same slide was found to be more useful, These integrated qu ality control procedures had a direct influence on the production of r esults from the laboratory, Together with a high standard of technicia n training, comprehensive routine quality control based on repeated an alyses of control samples is an effective way of assuring the validity of semen analysis results.