One of the tasks of the EURL-P is to organize Proficiency Testing schemes (PT) for National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) of the European Union (EU) and for public laboratories of associated countries. For these laboratories, participation to the PT schemes is free of cost. The PT scheme is announced at the beginning of each year by e-mail. Any change in the PT schedule and/or in their planning/management, will be promptly communicated by e-mail.
Upon specific and motivated request, other public Institutions, such as Universities and Research Centers, may also participate to the PT schemes at no charge.
The participation to the PT schemes of private laboratories is generally not allowed. However, in case of specific needs, which will be assessed on an individual basis by the Director and by the PT scheme coordinator, these laboratories may be admitted by way of derogation. In that case, the cost of participation will be charged to the requesting laboratory (consult the “Price List” document, available as attachment, for additional information).
The EURL-P organizes the following PTs:
- Artificial digestion to detect Trichinella larvae in meat samples (accredited scheme)
- Identification of Trichinella larvae at the species level by a molecular method (accredited scheme)
- Detection of Anisakidae L3 larvae in fish fillets (accredited scheme)
- Detection of Echinococcus sp. worms in the intestinal mucosa of the definitive host (accredited scheme)
- Molecular identification of Anisakid nematodes at the species level (accredited scheme)
- Molecular identification of Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus multilocularis and Taenia spp. (not accredited scheme)
- Detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG in animal serum samples (not accredited scheme)
- Detection of anti-Trichinella IgG in swine serum samples (not accredited scheme)
A description of the aims and participation requirements for each PT can be found at the bottom of the page. A link to an on-line registration form will be provided by e-mail to the admitted laboratories.
A Final PT report is made available to all participants and published on the EURL-P web site according to the NRLs PT time table attached below. The document includes the following information:
- the expected results for each item
- the obtained results for each item
- a final evaluation
- recommendations based on the participant performance
The PT results are presented and discussed during the annual NRL workshop. To guarantee confidentiality, in the Final PT report, each participant is identified by a anonymous code. The PT Reports are stored by the EURL-P for 10 years. The EURL-P reserves itself the right to provide the laboratory PT result to the competent authority upon request, with written notification to the participant.
Claim/Appeal: The EURL-P provides a form to report any claim/appeal from the participant, to the PT scheme, see attachments below.
Once receiving a claim/appeal, the Director of the EURL-P assesses its merits, discusses it with the parties involved, determines the measures to be taken and decides on the response to be provided to the applicant. If the complaint or appeal is addressed to the Director of the EURL-P, independent staff will be appointed to assess the complaint or appeal, determine the measures to be taken and communicate the outcome to the applicant. The independent staff member will be selected from within the EURL-P. The applicant will be informed of the measures taken and the timeframe. The applicant will be asked to provide feedback on their satisfaction.
