Quality Assurance
Definition
Planned activities supporting suitable methods, competence, records, review and correction in a defined service or examination. Quality assurance includes appropriate methods, competence, traceable records, review and corrective action. It connects work across collection, analysis and reporting.
- Context
- Laboratory practice
For example, investigating an instrument deviation and reassessing affected reports is part of quality assurance, rather than relying on an accreditation logo alone.
A guideline citation or accreditation logo alone does not establish the validity of a case-specific opinion. Evaluate the method and its application.
Related terms
- Accreditation Scope
- The specified activities covered by an accreditation assessment. Check that schedule when assessing a particular entomology, molecular or toxicology service. Accreditation, individual...
- EAFE
- The European Association for Forensic Entomology, a professional association whose membership does not itself certify casework competence. Its current ethical code distinguishes...
- ENFSI
- The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes; a specific publication must be verified before attributing guidance or requirements to it. A reference...
- ISO 17025
- ISO/IEC 17025, an international standard addressing laboratory competence, impartiality and consistent operation, applied within a defined accreditation scope. An accreditation schedule identifies...
- NAFEA
- The North American Forensic Entomology Association, a professional community distinct from a laboratory accreditation body. Do not imply that membership certifies a...
- Proficiency Testing
- Assessment of participant performance against defined criteria; an exercise is not necessarily blind. It may test identification, calculation, interpretation or a broader...
- Reference Event
- A reference event is the independently established event or observation against which an estimate or method is evaluated. It must match the...
- Validation
- Documented evaluation that a method is fit for a stated purpose under specified conditions. Laboratory development data and realistic field performance provide...
Explained in
- Standards, Error Rates and Quality in Forensic EntomologyPlanned activities supporting appropriate methods, competence, records, review and correction.