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A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF M A S T E R OF SCIENCE in THE F A C U L T Y OF G R A D U A T E STUDIES

In this thesis we will investigate proficiency testing in clinical chemistry. External quality control agencies utilize proficiency testing programs in order to assess and improve the analytical performance of clinical laboratories. In particular, we will consider the C H E M P L U S proficiency testing program which has been developed by the Canadian Reference Laboratory (C.R.L.) The C H E M P L U S program is designed to assess the validity of clinical tests performed by a laboratory, that is, the laboratory's analytical performance. Statistically valid and medically relevant evaluation criteria should be used to assess laboratory performance. However, there is debate whether this requirement is fulfilled by the use of current evaluation methodology. We will use data from the C H E M P L U S proficiency testing program to compare several standard methods of evaluating laboratory performance. In addition, we will construct an overall measure of laboratory performance that can be used to rank clinical laboratories.