Quality assurance for gamma knives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, E.D.; Banks, W.W.; Fischer, L.E.

1995-09-01

This report describes and summarizes the results of a quality assurance (QA) study of the Gamma Knife, a nuclear medical device used for the gamma irradiation of intracranial lesions. Focus was on the physical aspects of QA and did not address issues that are essentially medical, such as patient selection or prescription of dose. A risk-based QA assessment approach was used. Sample programs for quality control and assurance are included. The use of the Gamma Knife was found to conform to existing standards and guidelines concerning radiation safety and quality control of external beam therapies (shielding, safety reviews, radiation surveys,more » interlock systems, exposure monitoring, good medical physics practices, etc.) and to be compliant with NRC teletherapy regulations. There are, however, current practices for the Gamma Knife not covered by existing, formalized regulations, standards, or guidelines. These practices have been adopted by Gamma Knife users and continue to be developed with further experience. Some of these have appeared in publications or presentations and are slowly finding their way into recommendations of professional organizations.« less

U.S. Geological Survey quality-assurance plan for continuous water-quality monitoring in Kansas, 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, Trudy J.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Foster, Guy M.; Stone, Mandy L.; Juracek, Kyle E.; Rasmussen, Teresa J.; Putnam, James E.

2014-01-01

A quality-assurance plan for use in conducting continuous water-quality monitoring activities has been developed for the Kansas Water Science Center in accordance with guidelines set forth by the U.S. Geological Survey. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey in Kansas for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and release of continuous water-quality monitoring data. The policies and procedures that are documented in this quality-assurance plan for continuous water-quality monitoring activities complement quality-assurance plans for surface-water and groundwater activities in Kansas.

Quality assurance in forensic odontology

PubMed

Solheim, T

2018-05-30

Quality assurance or quality control is a term and concept coming from the industry. Here it is most important. All products must have a minimum quality and variation in size, for example, must be kept within certain strict limits. There must be a system to control this. May be not every single product is controlled, but spot tests must be taken. Measures must be taken to improve the quality if it is not good enough. This concept has been transferred to medicine, odontology, and consequently also to forensic odontology. These areas have in common with industry the production of that certain products. However, they are usually handmade and not produced in an industrial process. In addition, dentistry is a great deal of art and judgement and quality control of these factors may be difficult. In this paper, I will focus on forensic odontology. What are the problems? What can we do and cannot do? In addition, how can we assure the quality of the work, the assessment and conclusion, and the report? I have some personal opinions on that and I will give some suggestions. Quality assurance on an international level is difficult. Conditions and juridical systems are different in different countries. Especially forensic odontologists are different and have different opinions. This presentation will be relevant to the ongoing discussion and attempts at revising the IOFOS' guidelines for quality assurance.

The quality assurance liaison: Combined technical and quality assurance support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolivar, S. L.; Day, J. L.

1993-03-01

The role of the quality assurance liaison, the responsibilities of this position, and the evolutionary changes in duties over the last six years are described. The role of the quality assurance liaison has had a very positive impact on the Los Alamos Yucca Mountain Site Characterization (YW) quality assurance program. Having both technical and quality assurance expertise, the quality assurance liaisons are able to facilitate communications with scientists on quality assurance issues and requirements, thereby generating greater productivity in scientific investigations. The quality assurance liaisons help ensure that the scientific community knows and implements existing requirements, is aware of new or changing regulations, and is able to conduct scientific work within Project requirements. The influence of the role of the quality assurance liaison can be measured by an overall improvement in attitude of the staff regarding quality assurance requirements and improved job performance, as well as a decrease in deficiencies identified during both internal and external audits and surveillances. This has resulted in a more effective implementation of quality assurance requirements.

Quality assurance of qualitative research: a review of the discourse

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Increasing demand for qualitative research within global health has emerged alongside increasing demand for demonstration of quality of research, in line with the evidence-based model of medicine. In quantitative health sciences research, in particular clinical trials, there exist clear and widely-recognised guidelines for conducting quality assurance of research. However, no comparable guidelines exist for qualitative research and although there are long-standing debates on what constitutes 'quality' in qualitative research, the concept of 'quality assurance' has not been explored widely. In acknowledgement of this gap, we sought to review discourses around quality assurance of qualitative research, as a first step towards developing guidance. Methods A range of databases, journals and grey literature sources were searched, and papers were included if they explicitly addressed quality assurance within a qualitative paradigm. A meta-narrative approach was used to review and synthesise the literature. Results Among the 37 papers included in the review, two dominant narratives were interpreted from the literature, reflecting contrasting approaches to quality assurance. The first focuses on demonstrating quality within research outputs; the second focuses on principles for quality practice throughout the research process. The second narrative appears to offer an approach to quality assurance that befits the values of qualitative research, emphasising the need to consider quality throughout the research process. Conclusions The paper identifies the strengths of the approaches represented in each narrative and recommend these are brought together in the development of a flexible framework to help qualitative researchers to define, apply and demonstrate principles of quality in their research. PMID:22182674

Quality-Assurance Plan for Water-Quality Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey Montana Water Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lambing, John H.

2006-01-01

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a quality-assurance plan has been created for use by the USGS Montana Water Science Center in conducting water-quality activities. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the USGS Montana Water Science Center for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data. The policies and procedures presented in this quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities complement the quality-assurance plans for surface-water and ground-water activities and suspended-sediment analysis.

Nursing Quality Assurance: The Wisconsin System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hover, Julie; Zimmer, Marie J.

1978-01-01

Evaluation model guidelines for hospital departments of nursing to use in their nursing quality assurance programs are presented as developed in Wisconsin. Four essential components of the Wisconsin outcome evaluation system are criteria, assessment, standards, and improvement of care. Sample tests and charts are included in the article. (MF)

Quality assurance grading guidelines for research and development at DOE facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Powell, T.B.; Morris, R.N.

1993-01-01

The quality assurance (QA) requirements for the US Department of Energy (DOE) are established in DOE Order 5700.6C. This order is applicable for all DOE departmental elements, management, and maintenance and operating contractors and requires that documented Quality Assurance Programs (QAPs) are prepared at all levels; it has one attachment. The DOE Office of Energy Research (DOE-ER) has issued a standard to ensure implementation of the full intent of this order in the ER community.

Colonoscopy quality assurance in Ontario: Systematic review and clinical practice guideline

PubMed Central

Tinmouth, Jill; Kennedy, Erin B; Baron, David; Burke, Mae; Feinberg, Stanley; Gould, Michael; Baxter, Nancy; Lewis, Nancy

2014-01-01

Colonoscopy is fundamental to the diagnosis and management of digestive diseases and plays a key role in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to ensure that colonoscopy is of high quality. The present guidance document updates the evidence and recommendations in Cancer Care Ontario’s 2007 Colonoscopy Standards, and was conducted under the aegis of the Program in Evidence-Based Care. It is intended to support quality improvement for colonoscopies for all indications, including follow-up to a positive fecal occult blood test, screening for individuals who have a family history of CRC and those at average risk, investigation for symptomatic patients, and surveillance of those with a history of adenomatous polyps or CRC. A systematic review was performed to evaluate the existing evidence concerning the following three key aspects of colonoscopy: physician endoscopist training and maintenance of competency; institutional quality assurance parameters; and colonoscopy quality indicators and auditable outcomes. Where appropriate, indicators were designated quality indicators (where there was sufficient evidence to recommend a specific target) and auditable outcomes (insufficient evidence to recommend a specific target, but which should be monitored for quality assurance purposes). The guidance document may be used to support colonoscopy quality assurance programs to improve the quality of colonoscopy regardless of indication. Improvements in colonoscopy quality are anticipated to improve important outcomes in digestive diseases, such as reduction of the incidence of and mortality from CRC. PMID:24839621

Quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities in the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conn, Kathleen E.; Huffman, Raegan L.; Barton, Cynthia

2017-05-08

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey, a quality-assurance plan has been created for use by the Washington Water Science Center (WAWSC) in conducting water-quality activities. This qualityassurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the WAWSC for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data. The policies and procedures documented in this quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities complement the quality-assurance plans for surface-water and groundwater activities at the WAWSC.

Developing and Implementing a Quality Assurance Strategy for Electroconvulsive Therapy.

PubMed

Hollingsworth, Jessa; Baliko, Beverly; McKinney, Selina; Rosenquist, Peter

2018-04-17

The literature provides scant guidance in effective quality assurance strategies concerning the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of psychiatric conditions. Numerous guidelines are published that provide guidance in the delivery of care; however, little has been done to determine how a program or facility might ensure compliance to best practice for safety, tolerability, and efficacy in performing ECT. The objective of this project was to create a quality assurance strategy specific to ECT. Determining standards for quality care and clarifying facility policy were key outcomes in establishing an effective quality assurance strategy. An audit tool was developed utilizing quality criteria derived from a systematic review of ECT practice guidelines, peer review, and facility policy. All ECT procedures occurring over a 2-month period of May to June 2017 were retrospectively audited and compared against target compliance rates set for the facility's ECT program. Facility policy was adapted to reflect quality standards, and audit findings were used to inform possible practice change initiatives, were used to create benchmarks for continuous quality monitoring, and were integrated into regular hospital quality meetings. Clarification on standards of care and the use of clinical auditing in ECT was an effective starting point in the development of a quality assurance strategy. Audit findings were successfully integrated into the hospital's overall quality program, and recognition of practice compliance informed areas for future quality development and policy revision in this small community-based hospital in the southeastern United States. This project sets the foundation for a quality assurance strategy that can be used to help monitor procedural safety and guide future improvement efforts in delivering ECT. Although it is just the first step in creating meaningful quality improvement, setting clear standards and identifying areas of greatest

College Quality Assurance Assurances. Mendip Papers 020.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sallis, E.; Hingley, P.

This paper discusses the increasing interest in quality assurance in British education including its measurement and management through the introduction of a quality assurance system. The reasons and benefits of beginning a quality assurance system are discussed, and questions of what constitutes quality, whether it is quality in fact…

Guidelines for the detection of Trichinella larvae at the slaughterhouse in a quality assurance system.

PubMed

Rossi, Patrizia; Pozio, Edoardo

2008-01-01

The European Community Regulation (EC) No. 2075/2005 lays down specific rules on official controls for the detection of Trichinella in fresh meat for human consumption, recommending the pooled-sample digestion method as the reference method. The aim of this document is to provide specific guidance to implement an appropriate Trichinella digestion method by a laboratory accredited according to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 international standard, and performing microbiological testing following the EA-04/10:2002 international guideline. Technical requirements for the correct implementation of the method, such as the personnel competence, specific equipments and reagents, validation of the method, reference materials, sampling, quality assurance of results and quality control of performance are provided, pointing out the critical control points for the correct implementation of the digestion method.

Quality assurance, an administrative means to a managerial end: Part IV.

PubMed

Clark, G B

1992-01-01

This is the fourth and final part of a series of articles on laboratory quality surveillance. Part I addressed the historical background of medical quality assurance. Part II covered surveillance guidelines of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the College of American Pathologists with emphasis on quality assurance (QA) and the ten-step process. Part III focused on the JCAHO transition from QA to quality assessment and improvement. Part IV concludes the series by discussing the systematic identification of quality indicators in the total quality management and continuous quality improvement environment.

Guidelines for quality assurance in multicenter trials: a position paper.

PubMed

Knatterud, G L; Rockhold, F W; George, S L; Barton, F B; Davis, C E; Fairweather, W R; Honohan, T; Mowery, R; O'Neill, R

1998-10-01

In the wake of reports of falsified data in one of the trials of the National Surgical Adjuvant Project for Breast and Bowel Cancer supported by the National Cancer Institute, clinical trials came under close scrutiny by the public, the press, and Congress. Questions were asked about the quality and integrity of the collected data and the analyses and conclusions of trials. In 1995, the leaders of the Society for Clinical Trials (the Chair of the Policy Committee, Dr. David DeMets, and the President of the Society, Dr. Sylvan Green) asked two members of the Society (Dr. Genell Knatterud and Dr. Frank Rockhold) to act as co-chairs of a newly formed subcommittee to discuss the issues of data integrity and auditing. In consultation with Drs. DeMets and Green, the co-chairs selected other members (Ms. Franca Barton, Dr. C.E. Davis, Dr. Bill Fairweather, Dr. Stephen George, Mr. Tom Honohan, Dr. Richard Mowery, and Dr. Robert O'Neill) to serve on the subcommittee. The subcommittee considered "how clean clinical trial data should be, to what extent auditing procedures are required, and who should conduct audits and how often." During the initial discussions, the subcommittee concluded that data auditing was insufficient to achieve data integrity. Accordingly, the subcommittee prepared this set of guidelines for standards of quality assurance for multicenter clinical trials. We include recommendations for appropriate action if problems are detected.

Reliability and quality assurance on the MOD 2 wind system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, W. E. B.; Jones, B. G.

1981-01-01

The Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance (R&QA) approach developed for the largest wind turbine generator, the Mod 2, is described. The R&QA approach assures that the machine is not hazardous to the public or to the operating personnel, is operated unattended on a utility grid, demonstrates reliable operation, and helps establish the quality assurance and maintainability requirements for future wind turbine projects. The significant guideline consisted of a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) during the design phase, hardware inspections during parts fabrication, and three simple documents to control activities during machine construction and operation.

Multinational Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinser, Kevin

2011-01-01

Multinational colleges and universities pose numerous challenges to the traditional models of quality assurance that are designed to validate domestic higher education. When institutions cross international borders, at least two quality assurance protocols are involved. To guard against fraud and abuse, quality assurance in the host country is…

European guidelines for quality assurance in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis: Overview and introduction to the full Supplement publication

PubMed Central

von Karsa, L.; Patnick, J.; Segnan, N.; Atkin, W.; Halloran, S.; Lansdorp-Vogelaar, I.; Malila, N.; Minozzi, S.; Moss, S.; Quirke, P.; Steele, R. J.; Vieth, M.; Aabakken, L.; Altenhofen, L.; Ancelle-Park, R.; Antoljak, N.; Anttila, A.; Armaroli, P.; Arrossi, S.; Austoker, J.; Banzi, R.; Bellisario, C.; Blom, J.; Brenner, H.; Bretthauer, M.; Camargo Cancela, M.; Costamagna, G.; Cuzick, J.; Dai, M.; Daniel, J.; Dekker, E.; Delicata, N.; Ducarroz, S.; Erfkamp, H.; Espinàs, J. A.; Faivre, J.; Faulds Wood, L.; Flugelman, A.; Frkovic-Grazio, S.; Geller, B.; Giordano, L.; Grazzini, G.; Green, J.; Hamashima, C.; Herrmann, C.; Hewitson, P.; Hoff, G.; Holten, I.; Jover, R.; Kaminski, M. F.; Kuipers, E. J.; Kurtinaitis, J.; Lambert, R.; Launoy, G.; Lee, W.; Leicester, R.; Leja, M.; Lieberman, D.; Lignini, T.; Lucas, E.; Lynge, E.; Mádai, S.; Marinho, J.; Maučec Zakotnik, J.; Minoli, G.; Monk, C.; Morais, A.; Muwonge, R.; Nadel, M.; Neamtiu, L.; Peris Tuser, M.; Pignone, M.; Pox, C.; Primic-Zakelj, M.; Psaila, J.; Rabeneck, L.; Ransohoff, D.; Rasmussen, M.; Regula, J.; Ren, J.; Rennert, G.; Rey, J.; Riddell, R. H.; Risio, M.; Rodrigues, V.; Saito, H.; Sauvaget, C.; Scharpantgen, A.; Schmiegel, W.; Senore, C.; Siddiqi, M.; Sighoko, D.; Smith, R.; Smith, S.; Suchanek, S.; Suonio, E.; Tong, W.; Törnberg, S.; Van Cutsem, E.; Vignatelli, L.; Villain, P.; Voti, L.; Watanabe, H.; Watson, J.; Winawer, S.; Young, G.; Zaksas, V.; Zappa, M.; Valori, R.

2015-01-01

Population-based screening for early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and precursor lesions, using evidence-based methods, can be effective in populations with a significant burden of the disease provided the services are of high quality. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based guidelines for quality assurance in CRC screening and diagnosis have been developed by experts in a project co-financed by the European Union. The 450-page guidelines were published in book format by the European Commission in 2010.They include 10 chapters and over 250 recommendations, individually graded according to the strength of the recommendation and the supporting evidence. Adoption of the recommendations can improve and maintain the quality and effectiveness of an entire screening process, including identification and invitation of the target population, diagnosis and management of the disease and appropriate surveillance in people with detected lesions. To make the principles, recommendations and standards in the guidelines known to a wider professional and scientific community and to facilitate their use in the scientific literature, the original content is presented in journal format in an open-access Supplement of Endoscopy. The editors have prepared the present overview to inform readers of the comprehensive scope and content of the guidelines. PMID:23212726

Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 2: Quality assurance criteria for photovoltaic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, John C.; Billitti, Joseph W.; Tallon, John M.

1979-01-01

Quality assurance criteria are described for manufacturers and installers of solar photovoltaic tests and applications. Quality oriented activities are outlined to be pursued by the contractor/subcontractor to assure the physical and operational quality of equipment produced is included. In the broad sense, guidelines are provided for establishing a QA organization if none exists. Mainly, criteria is provided to be considered in any PV quality assurance plan selected as appropriate by the responsible Field Center. A framework is established for a systematic approach to ensure that photovoltaic tests and applications are constructed in a timely and cost effective manner.

The Columbia River Protection Supplemental Technologies Quality Assurance Project Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fix, N. J.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has conducted interim groundwater remedial activities on the Hanford Site since the mid-1990s for several groundwater contamination plumes. DOE established the Columbia River Protection Supplemental Technologies Project (Technologies Project) in 2006 to evaluate alternative treatment technologies. The objectives for the technology project are as follows: develop a 300 Area polyphosphate treatability test to immobilize uranium, design and test infiltration of a phosphate/apatite technology for Sr-90 at 100-N, perform carbon tetrachloride and chloroform attenuation parameter studies, perform vadose zone chromium characterization and geochemistry studies, perform in situ biostimulation of chromium studies for a reducing barriermore » at 100-D, and perform a treatability test for phytoremediation for Sr-90 at 100-N. This document provides the quality assurance guidelines that will be followed by the Technologies Project. This Quality Assurance Project Plan is based on the quality assurance requirements of DOE Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance, and 10 CFR 830, Subpart A--Quality Assurance Requirements as delineated in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Standards-Based Management System. In addition, the technology project is subject to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans (EPA/240/B-01/003, QA/R-5). The Hanford Analytical Services Quality Assurance Requirements Documents (HASQARD, DOE/RL-96-68) apply to portions of this project and to the subcontractors. HASQARD requirements are discussed within applicable sections of this plan.« less

Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Career Development Inst., Springfield.

This booklet is one of six texts from a workplace literacy curriculum designed to assist learners in facing the increased demands of the workplace. The booklet contains five sections that cover the following topics: (1) importance of reliability; (2) meaning of quality assurance; (3) historical development of quality assurance; (4) statistical…

Quality Assurance Specifications for Planetary Protection Assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Amy

As the European Space Agency planetary protection (PP) activities move forward to support the ExoMars and other planetary missions, it will become necessary to increase staffing of labo-ratories that provide analyses for these programs. Standardization of procedures, a comprehen-sive quality assurance program, and unilateral training of personnel will be necessary to ensure that the planetary protection goals and schedules are met. The PP Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QAQC) program is designed to regulate and monitor procedures performed by labora-tory personnel to ensure that all work meets data quality objectives through the assembly and launch process. Because personnel time is at a premium and sampling schedules are often de-pendent on engineering schedules, it is necessary to have flexible staffing to support all sampling requirements. The most productive approach to having a competent and flexible work force is to establish well defined laboratory procedures and training programs that clearly address the needs of the program and the work force. The quality assurance specification for planetary protection assays has to ensure that labora-tories and associated personnel can demonstrate the competence to perform assays according to the applicable standard AD4. Detailed subjects included in the presentation are as follows: • field and laboratory control criteria • data reporting • personnel training requirements and certification • laboratory audit criteria. Based upon RD2 for primary and secondary validation and RD3 for data quality objectives, the QAQC will provide traceable quality assurance safeguards by providing structured laboratory requirements for guidelines and oversight including training and technical updates, standardized documentation, standardized QA/QC checks, data review and data archiving.

Survey of point-of-care instrumentation, analysis, and quality assurance in veterinary practice.

PubMed

Bell, Regan; Harr, Kendal; Rishniw, Mark; Pion, Paul

2014-06-01

While there have been ASVCP meeting discussions regarding quality assurance plans and lack thereof for in-clinic analyzers, there are little published data regarding in-clinic quality assurance and control practices. The purpose of this study was the identification of the common equipment used in hematologic, biochemical, urinalysis, and other testing, and assessment of quality control and assurance programs currently being performed in-clinic. All members of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) were solicited to participate in an online survey between July and September 2007. In total, 452 complete or partial responses were received. Eighty-nine percent of respondents (361/404) said that veterinary technicians (unlicensed, licensed, and registered) performed the majority of analyses. Eighty-eight percent (366/417) of respondents performed some quality assurance on their laboratory equipment, most commonly on chemistry (91%, 324/357), and hematology (84%, 292/347) analyzers, and least commonly on fecal analyses (57%, 148/260) and ELISA assays (25%, 65/256). Ignorance of how to perform quality assurance was the most commonly stated reason (49%, 25/51) for lack of a quality assurance program. The majority of practices (316/374) utilized manufacturer-provided reference intervals without further adjustment or assessment. Roughly one-third of respondents (126/374) used reference intervals from textbooks, which is discouraged by ASVCP guidelines. This study found that the majority of respondents were not in compliance with ASVCP guidelines, illustrating the need for improved education of technical staff, veterinary students, and veterinarians regarding limitations of in-clinic laboratory equipment and the importance of regular quality control, maintenance, training, and reference interval development. © 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Bologna and Quality Assurance: Progress Made or Pulling the Wrong Cart?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huisman, Jeroen; Westerheijden, Don F.

2010-01-01

This contribution looks critically at the achievements regarding the Bologna action line "European cooperation in quality assurance". Much has been realised but most of the visible achievements are at the supranational level: the development of the European Standards and Guidelines, the launch of the European Network of Quality Assurance…

Summary of development and recommendations for a quality assurance program for the procurement and manufacture of urban mass transit operating equipment and systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witkin, S. A.

1976-01-01

A viable quality program for the urban mass transit industry, and a management approach to ensure compliance with the program are outlined. Included are: (1) a set of guidelines for quality assurance to be imposed on transit authorities, and a management approach to ensure compliance with them; (2) a management approach to be used by the transit authorities (properties) for assuring compliance with the QA guidelines; and (3) quality assurance guidelines to be imposed by properties and umta for procurement of hardware and systems.

Quality assurance program guidelines for application to and use by manufacturers of rail/guideway vehicles, buses, automatic train control systems, and their major subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witkin, S. A.

1976-01-01

Guidelines are presented for a quality assurance system to be implemented by the manufacturer in support of designing, developing, fabricating, assembling, inspecting, testing, handling, and delivery of equipment being procured for use in public urban mass transit systems. The guidelines apply to this equipment when being procured for: (1) use in revenue service; (2) demonstration of systems that will be revenue producing or used by the public; (3) use as a prototype for follow-on operational/revenue producing equipment procurements; and (4) qualification tests.

Quality assurance for gastrointestinal endoscopy.

PubMed

Allen, John I

2012-09-01

This review concerns quality assurance for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, especially colonoscopy and will emphasize research and guidelines published since January 2011. Important articles from previous years have been included for background. Critical lapses in endoscope processing and administration of intravenous sedation alerted us to the infection risk of endoscopy. Increases in cost of colonoscopy, evidence for overuse and studies demonstrating missed cancers have led some to question the value of endoscopy. Despite these setbacks, the National Polyp Study (NPS) consortium published their long-term follow-up of the original NPS patients and confirmed that colonoscopy with polyp removal can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer for an extended period. In this article, we will focus on ways to improve the value of outpatient colonoscopy. The United States national quality improvement agenda recently became organized into a more coordinated effort spearheaded by several public and private entities. They comprise the infrastructure by which performance measures are developed and implemented as accountability standards. Understanding wherein a gastroenterology (GI) practice fits into this infrastructure and learning ways we can improve our endoscopic practice is important for physicians who provide this vital service to patients. This article will provide a roadmap for developing a quality assurance program for endoscopic practice.

Overall Quality Assurance Project Plan, Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Volume 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-03-15

billion volume ppm parts per million PT pole-mounted PTFE polytetrafluoro-ethylene PUF polyurethane foam PVC polyvinyl chloride QA quality assurance...and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) quality assurance (QA) objectives. The format of the OQAPP is based on "Interim Guidelines and...County. The till material deposited in the Fort Sheridan region has been classified as the Wadsworth Till Member of the Wedron Formation . This till

Quality assurance in transition.

PubMed

Blumenfeld, S N

1993-06-01

This paper outlines the early approaches to quality assurance, and its transition from business to health care. It then describes the development of the more recent trends in quality assurance of Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. The paper then goes on to show how these approaches have been modified for application to peripheral health services in developing countries through the work of the Primary Health Care Operations Research Project and the Quality Assurance Project.

Implementation of Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) guidelines within the External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL).

PubMed

Todd, Christopher A; Sanchez, Ana M; Garcia, Ambrosia; Denny, Thomas N; Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella

2014-07-01

The EQAPOL contract was awarded to Duke University to develop and manage global proficiency testing programs for flow cytometry-, ELISpot-, and Luminex bead-based assays (cytokine analytes), as well as create a genetically diverse panel of HIV-1 viral cultures to be made available to National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers. As a part of this contract, EQAPOL was required to operate under Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) that are traditionally used for laboratories conducting endpoint assays for human clinical trials. EQAPOL adapted these guidelines to the management of proficiency testing programs while simultaneously incorporating aspects of ISO/IEC 17043 which are specifically designed for external proficiency management. Over the first two years of the contract, the EQAPOL Oversight Laboratories received training, developed standard operating procedures and quality management practices, implemented strict quality control procedures for equipment, reagents, and documentation, and received audits from the EQAPOL Central Quality Assurance Unit. GCLP programs, such as EQAPOL, strengthen a laboratory's ability to perform critical assays and provide quality assessments of future potential vaccines. © 2013.

Quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities in the North Florida Program Office, Florida District

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berndt, Marian P.; Katz, Brian G.

2000-01-01

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, a quality-assurance plan was created for use by the Florida District's North Florida Program Office in conducting water-quality activities. This plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the North Florida Program Office for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data.

Systematic Review of International Colposcopy Quality Improvement Guidelines.

PubMed

Mayeaux, Edward J; Novetsky, Akiva P; Chelmow, David; Choma, Kim; Garcia, Francisco; Liu, Angela H; Papasozomenos, Theognosia; Einstein, Mark H

2017-10-01

The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Colposcopy Standards Committee organized multiple working groups to draft colposcopy standards for the United States. As part of this project, international quality assurance and improvement measures were examined. The quality improvement working group performed a systematic review of the literature to collate international guidelines related to quality improvement. Source guidelines were collected using searches in Medline, Google Scholar, the International Federation of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy Web site, other regional colposcopy group's Web sites, and communications with International Federation of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy board of directors' members and other expert members of various national groups. Once identified, the sources were reviewed by multiple workgroup members for potential guideline materials. Fifty-six unique documents were identified, of which 18 met inclusion criteria and contributed data to the analysis. Information was abstracted and grouped by related subject. Wide variation exists in colposcopy guidance and quality indicators from regional and national colposcopy societies. Abstracted international guidelines are presented.

Quality Assurance: Patient Chart Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oginni, B. M.; Odero, D. O.

2009-07-01

Recent developments in radiation therapy have immensely impacted the way the radiation dose is delivered to patients undergoing radiation treatments. However, the fundamental quality assurance (QA) issues underlying the radiation therapy still remain the accuracy of the radiation dose and the radiation safety. One of the major duties of clinical medical physicists in the radiation therapy departments still revolves around ensuring the accuracy of dose delivery to the planning target volume (PTV), the reduction of unintended radiation to normal organs and minimization of the radiation exposure to the medical personnel based on ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle. Many of the errors in radiation therapy can be minimized through a comprehensive program of periodic checks. One of the QA procedures on the patient comes in the form of chart reviews which could be in either electronic or paper-based format. We present the quality assurance procedures that have to be performed on the patient records from the beginning and periodically to the end of the treatment, based on the guidelines from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and American College of Physicians (ACP).

[Quality assurance and quality improvement in medical practice. Part 3: Clinical audit in medical practice].

PubMed

Godény, Sándor

2012-02-05

The first two articles in the series were about the definition of quality in healthcare, the quality approach, the importance of quality assurance, the advantages of quality management systems and the basic concepts and necessity of evidence based medicine. In the third article the importance and basic steps of clinical audit are summarised. Clinical audit is an integral part of quality assurance and quality improvement in healthcare, that is the responsibility of any practitioner involved in medical practice. Clinical audit principally measures the clinical practice against clinical guidelines, protocols and other professional standards, and sometimes induces changes to ensure that all patients receive care according to principles of the best practice. The clinical audit can be defined also as a quality improvement process that seeks to identify areas for service improvement, develop and carry out plans and actions to improve medical activity and then by re-audit to ensure that these changes have an effect. Therefore, its aims are both to stimulate quality improvement interventions and to assess their impact in order to develop clinical effectiveness. At the end of the article key points of quality assurance and improvement in medical practice are summarised.

Quality assurance, an administrative means to a managerial end: Part I. A historical overview.

PubMed

Clark, G B

1990-01-01

Quality has become the hallmark of industrial excellence. Many diverse factors have heightened national concern about managing quality control throughout the health-care industry, including laboratory services. Industry-wide focus on quality control has created a need for an administrative program to evaluate its effectiveness. That program is medical quality assurance. Because of national and industry-wide concern, development of quality assurance theory has gained increasing importance in medical accreditation and management circles. Scrutiny of the application of quality assurance has become particularly prominent during accreditation inspections. Implementing quality assurance programs now demands more of already finite resources. The professional laboratory manager should understand how quality assurance has developed in the United States during the past 150 years. The well-informed manager should recognize why the health-care industry only recently began to develop its own expertise in quality assurance. It is also worthwhile to understand how heavily health care has relied on the lessons learned in the non-health-care sector. This three-part series will present information that will help in applying quality assurance more effectively as a management tool in the medical laboratory. This first part outlines the early industrial, socioeconomic, and medicolegal background of quality assurance. Terminology is defined with some distinction made between the terms management and administration. The second part will address current accreditation requirements. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical application of accreditation guidelines, providing a template for quality assurance methods in the medical laboratory. The third part will provide an overview of quality assurance as a total management tool with some suggestions for developing and implementing a quality assurance program.

Saving Quality from Quality Assurance. Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, Sandra L.

2004-01-01

The word 'quality' has become a 'central term in the lexicon of contemporary higher education and a major point of interest to various interest groups'. As quality assurance systems have developed around the world, certain assumptions are becoming alarmingly widespread: for example that quality assurance is new to higher education, that quality…

Quality Assurance for University Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Roger, Ed.

This book, written from a British perspective, presents 17 papers on quality assurance in teaching at the university level. The first eight papers address issues of assuring quality and include: (1) "Quality Assurance for University Teaching; Issues and Approaches" (Roger Ellis); (2) "A British Standard for University…

10 CFR 71.37 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance. 71.37 Section 71.37 Energy NUCLEAR... Package Approval § 71.37 Quality assurance. (a) The applicant shall describe the quality assurance program... quality assurance program that are applicable to the particular package design under consideration...

Quality Assurance of Non-Local Accounting Programs Conducted in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Mei-Ai; Leung, Noel W.

2014-01-01

This study examines the current government policy and institutional practice on quality assurance of non-local accounting programs conducted in Hong Kong. Both international guidelines, national regulations and institutional frameworks in higher education and transnational higher education, and professional practice in accounting education are…

Training, Quality Assurance Factors, and Tools Investigation: a Work Report and Suggestions on Software Quality Assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Pen-Nan

1991-01-01

Previously, several research tasks have been conducted, some observations were obtained, and several possible suggestions have been contemplated involving software quality assurance engineering at NASA Johnson. These research tasks are briefly described. Also, a brief discussion is given on the role of software quality assurance in software engineering along with some observations and suggestions. A brief discussion on a training program for software quality assurance engineers is provided. A list of assurance factors as well as quality factors are also included. Finally, a process model which can be used for searching and collecting software quality assurance tools is presented.

Read Code Quality Assurance

PubMed Central

Schulz, Erich; Barrett, James W.; Price, Colin

1998-01-01

As controlled clinical vocabularies assume an increasing role in modern clinical information systems, so the issue of their quality demands greater attention. In order to meet the resulting stringent criteria for completeness and correctness, a quality assurance system comprising a database of more than 500 rules is being developed and applied to the Read Thesaurus. The authors discuss the requirement to apply quality assurance processes to their dynamic editing database in order to ensure the quality of exported products. Sources of errors include human, hardware, and software factors as well as new rules and transactions. The overall quality strategy includes prevention, detection, and correction of errors. The quality assurance process encompasses simple data specification, internal consistency, inspection procedures and, eventually, field testing. The quality assurance system is driven by a small number of tables and UNIX scripts, with “business rules” declared explicitly as Structured Query Language (SQL) statements. Concurrent authorship, client-server technology, and an initial failure to implement robust transaction control have all provided valuable lessons. The feedback loop for error management needs to be short. PMID:9670131

RAVEN Quality Assurance Activities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cogliati, Joshua Joseph

2015-09-01

This report discusses the quality assurance activities needed to raise the Quality Level of Risk Analysis in a Virtual Environment (RAVEN) from Quality Level 3 to Quality Level 2. This report also describes the general RAVEN quality assurance activities. For improving the quality, reviews of code changes have been instituted, more parts of testing have been automated, and improved packaging has been created. For upgrading the quality level, requirements have been created and the workflow has been improved.

Quality assurance in military medical research and medical radiation accident management.

PubMed

Hotz, Mark E; Meineke, Viktor

2012-08-01

The provision of quality radiation-related medical diagnostic and therapeutic treatments cannot occur without the presence of robust quality assurance and standardization programs. Medical laboratory services are essential in patient treatment and must be able to meet the needs of all patients and the clinical personnel responsible for the medical care of these patients. Clinical personnel involved in patient care must embody the quality assurance process in daily work to ensure program sustainability. In conformance with the German Federal Government's concept for modern departmental research, the international standard ISO 9001, one of the relevant standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is applied in quality assurance in military medical research. By its holistic approach, this internationally accepted standard provides an excellent basis for establishing a modern quality management system in line with international standards. Furthermore, this standard can serve as a sound basis for the further development of an already established quality management system when additional standards shall apply, as for instance in reference laboratories or medical laboratories. Besides quality assurance, a military medical facility must manage additional risk events in the context of early recognition/detection of health risks of military personnel on deployment in order to be able to take appropriate preventive and protective measures; for instance, with medical radiation accident management. The international standard ISO 31000:2009 can serve as a guideline for establishing risk management. Clear organizational structures and defined work processes are required when individual laboratory units seek accreditation according to specific laboratory standards. Furthermore, international efforts to develop health laboratory standards must be reinforced that support sustainable quality assurance, as in the exchange and comparison of test results within

[Integrated quality assurance].

PubMed

Bögel, K; Stöhr, K

1994-07-01

The definition of terms and connotation of "Quality", "Quality Assurance" and "Integration" lead to an analysis and understanding of inhibiting and fostering factors of the "Health Triad" of people, animals and environment. Although "Quality" is largely or ultimately determined by the consumer, there are considerable differences as this term is applied by (a) the individual consumer, (b) the dynamic producer defending or gaining markets, (c) those engaged in traditional product manufacturing, or (d) governments setting (minimum) requirements for the sake of free trade. "Quality Assurance" offers cooperation of partners all along the food chain from "pasture to table". The managerial process turned into a continuum of responsibility and agreement on processes and product characteristics. This overcomes the disadvantages of strategies stressing distinct defense barriers. In practice this philosophy of a predominant role of defence barriers proved largely partnership destructive, in that it permitted to shift responsibilities for failures and to claim administrative competence according to momentary situations and interests. "Integrated Quality Assurance" means mutual agreement of two or more partners along the food chain (e. g. feed producers, farmers, animal health industry, veterinarians and food processors) on product characteristics and production methods. It involves essential system elements including facilities, materials, manpower, information, transport, management etc. Different principles and procedures of quality assurance have been introduced in practice, including agriculture and food processing. These different approaches are not mutually exclusive but largely of complementary nature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Redefining and expanding quality assurance.

PubMed

Robins, J L

1992-12-01

To meet the current standards of excellence necessary for blood establishments, we have learned from industry that a movement toward organization-wide quality assurance/total quality management must be made. Everyone in the organization must accept responsibility for participating in providing the highest quality products and services. Quality must be built into processes and design systems to support these quality processes. Quality assurance has been redefined to include a quality planning function described as the most effective way of designing quality into processes. A formalized quality planning process must be part of quality assurance. Continuous quality improvement has been identified as the strategy every blood establishment must support while striving for error-free processing as the long-term objective. The auditing process has been realigned to support and facilitate this same objective. Implementing organization-wide quality assurance/total quality management is one proven plan for guaranteeing the quality of the 20 million products that are transfused into 4 million patients each year and for moving toward the new order.

23 CFR 637.207 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Quality assurance program. 637.207 Section 637.207... CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION AND APPROVAL Quality Assurance Procedures for Construction § 637.207 Quality assurance program. (a) Each STD's quality assurance program shall provide for an acceptance program and an...

40 CFR 31.45 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 31.45 Section 31.45... Requirements Reports, Records, Retention, and Enforcement § 31.45 Quality assurance. If the grantee's project... quality assurance practices consisting of policies, procedures, specifications, standards, and...

10 CFR 72.140 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance requirements. 72.140 Section 72.140... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.140 Quality assurance requirements. (a) Purpose. This subpart describes quality assurance...

10 CFR 72.140 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance requirements. 72.140 Section 72.140... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.140 Quality assurance requirements. (a) Purpose. This subpart describes quality assurance...

10 CFR 72.140 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance requirements. 72.140 Section 72.140... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.140 Quality assurance requirements. (a) Purpose. This subpart describes quality assurance...

10 CFR 72.140 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance requirements. 72.140 Section 72.140... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.140 Quality assurance requirements. (a) Purpose. This subpart describes quality assurance...

10 CFR 72.140 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality assurance requirements. 72.140 Section 72.140... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.140 Quality assurance requirements. (a) Purpose. This subpart describes quality assurance...

10 CFR 71.103 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... contractors, agents, or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, or... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 71.103 Section 71.103... Quality Assurance § 71.103 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, 2 certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 71.103 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... contractors, agents, or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, or... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 71.103 Section 71.103... Quality Assurance § 71.103 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, 2 certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 71.103 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... contractors, agents, or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, or... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 71.103 Section 71.103... Quality Assurance § 71.103 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, 2 certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 76.93 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality assurance. 76.93 Section 76.93 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) CERTIFICATION OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS Safety § 76.93 Quality assurance. The Corporation shall establish, maintain, and execute a quality assurance program satisfying each of...

10 CFR 76.93 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance. 76.93 Section 76.93 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) CERTIFICATION OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS Safety § 76.93 Quality assurance. The Corporation shall establish, maintain, and execute a quality assurance program satisfying each of...

10 CFR 76.93 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance. 76.93 Section 76.93 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) CERTIFICATION OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS Safety § 76.93 Quality assurance. The Corporation shall establish, maintain, and execute a quality assurance program satisfying each of...

10 CFR 76.93 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance. 76.93 Section 76.93 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) CERTIFICATION OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS Safety § 76.93 Quality assurance. The Corporation shall establish, maintain, and execute a quality assurance program satisfying each of...

10 CFR 76.93 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance. 76.93 Section 76.93 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) CERTIFICATION OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS Safety § 76.93 Quality assurance. The Corporation shall establish, maintain, and execute a quality assurance program satisfying each of...

Quality assurance and accreditation.

PubMed

1997-01-01

In 1996, the Joint Commission International (JCI), which is a partnership between the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and Quality Healthcare Resources, Inc., became one of the contractors of the Quality Assurance Project (QAP). JCI recognizes the link between accreditation and quality, and uses a collaborative approach to help a country develop national quality standards that will improve patient care, satisfy patient-centered objectives, and serve the interest of all affected parties. The implementation of good standards provides support for the good performance of professionals, introduces new ideas for improvement, enhances the quality of patient care, reduces costs, increases efficiency, strengthens public confidence, improves management, and enhances the involvement of the medical staff. Such good standards are objective and measurable; achievable with current resources; adaptable to different institutions and cultures; and demonstrate autonomy, flexibility, and creativity. The QAP offers the opportunity to approach accreditation through research efforts, training programs, and regulatory processes. QAP work in the area of accreditation has been targeted for Zambia, where the goal is to provide equal access to cost-effective, quality health care; Jordan, where a consensus process for the development of standards, guidelines, and policies has been initiated; and Ecuador, where JCI has been asked to help plan an approach to the evaluation and monitoring of the health care delivery system.

30 CFR 74.9 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Quality assurance. 74.9 Section 74.9 Mineral... DUST SAMPLING DEVICES Requirements for Continuous Personal Dust Monitors § 74.9 Quality assurance. (a) General requirements. The applicant shall establish and maintain a quality control system that assures...

40 CFR 30.54 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 30.54 Section 30.54... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Reports and Records § 30.54 Quality assurance. If the... data generation, the grantee shall develop and implement quality assurance practices consisting of...

Medical Physics Challenges for the Implementation of Quality Assurance Programmes in Radiation Oncology.

PubMed

Meghzifene, A

2017-02-01

The importance of quality assurance in radiation therapy, as well as its positive consequences on patient treatment outcome, is well known to radiation therapy professionals. In low- and middle-income countries, the implementation of quality assurance in radiation therapy is especially challenging, due to a lack of staff training, a lack of national guidelines, a lack of quality assurance equipment and high patient daily throughput. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Directory of Radiotherapy Centres, the proportion of linear accelerators compared with Co-60 machines has increased significantly in recent years in low- and middle-income countries. However, this increase in the proportion of relatively more demanding technology is not always accompanied with the necessary investment in staff training and quality assurance. The IAEA provides supports to low- and middle-income countries to develop and strengthen quality assurance programmes at institutional and national level. It also provides guidance, through its publications, on quality assurance and supports implementation of comprehensive clinical audits to identify gaps and makes recommendations for quality improvement in radiation therapy. The new AAPM TG100 report suggests a new approach to quality management in radiation therapy. If implemented, it will lead to improved cost-effectiveness of radiation therapy in all income settings. Low- and middle-income countries could greatly benefit from this new approach as it will help direct their scarce resources to areas where they can produce the optimum impact on patient care, without compromising patient safety. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

10 CFR 63.144 - Quality assurance program change.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... assurance program information that duplicates language in quality assurance regulatory guides and quality... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality assurance program change. 63.144 Section 63.144... REPOSITORY AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA Quality Assurance § 63.144 Quality assurance program change. Changes to...

10 CFR 63.144 - Quality assurance program change.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... assurance program information that duplicates language in quality assurance regulatory guides and quality... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance program change. 63.144 Section 63.144... REPOSITORY AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA Quality Assurance § 63.144 Quality assurance program change. Changes to...

10 CFR 63.144 - Quality assurance program change.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... assurance program information that duplicates language in quality assurance regulatory guides and quality... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance program change. 63.144 Section 63.144... REPOSITORY AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA Quality Assurance § 63.144 Quality assurance program change. Changes to...

Guidelines for quality assurance and quality control of fish taxonomic data collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Stephen Joseph; Meador, Michael R.

1998-01-01

Fish community structure is characterized by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program as part of a perennial, multidisciplinary approach to evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the Nation's water resources. The objective of quality assurance and quality control of fish taxonomic data that are collected as part of the NAWQA Program is to establish uniform guidelines and protocols for the identification, processing, and archiving of fish specimens to ensure that accurate and reliable data are collected. Study unit biologists, collaborating with regional biologists and fish taxonomic specialists, prepare a pre-sampling study plan that includes a preliminary faunal list and identification of an ichthyological curation center for receiving preserved fish specimens. Problematic taxonomic issues and protected taxa also are identified in the study plan, and collecting permits are obtained in advance of sampling activities. Taxonomic specialists are selected to identify fish specimens in the field and to assist in determining what fish specimens should be sacrificed, fixed, and preserved for laboratory identification, independent taxonomic verification, and long-term storage in reference or voucher collections. Quantitative and qualitative sampling of fishes follows standard methods previously established for the NAWQA Program. Common ichthyological techniques are used to process samples in the field and prepare fish specimens to be returned to the laboratory or sent to an institutional repository. Taxonomic identifications are reported by using a standardized list of scientific names that provides nomenclatural consistency and uniformity across study units.

Principles and Practices for Quality Assurance and Quality Control

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Berwyn E.

1999-01-01

Quality assurance and quality control are vital parts of highway runoff water-quality monitoring projects. To be effective, project quality assurance must address all aspects of the project, including project management responsibilities and resources, data quality objectives, sampling and analysis plans, data-collection protocols, data quality-control plans, data-assessment procedures and requirements, and project outputs. Quality control ensures that the data quality objectives are achieved as planned. The historical development and current state of the art of quality assurance and quality control concepts described in this report can be applied to evaluation of data from prior projects.

The NCS code of practice for the quality assurance and control for volumetric modulated arc therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mans, Anton; Schuring, Danny; Arends, Mark P.; Vugts, Cornelia A. J. M.; Wolthaus, Jochem W. H.; Lotz, Heidi T.; Admiraal, Marjan; Louwe, Rob J. W.; Öllers, Michel C.; van de Kamer, Jeroen B.

2016-10-01

In 2010, the NCS (Netherlands Commission on Radiation Dosimetry) installed a subcommittee to develop guidelines for quality assurance and control for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatments. The report (published in 2015) has been written by Dutch medical physicists and has therefore, inevitably, a Dutch focus. This paper is a condensed version of these guidelines, the full report in English is freely available from the NCS website www.radiationdosimetry.org. After describing the transition from IMRT to VMAT, the paper addresses machine quality assurance (QA) and treatment planning system (TPS) commissioning for VMAT. The final section discusses patient specific QA issues such as the use of class solutions, measurement devices and dose evaluation methods.

Thoughts on Internal and External Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jianxin

2012-01-01

Quality assurance of higher education is made up of two parts: internal quality assurance (IQA) and external quality assurance (EQA). Both belong to a union of the coexistence and balance of yin and yang. But in reality there exists a paradox of "confusion of quality assurance (QA) subject consciousness, singularity of social QA and lack of QA…

40 CFR 194.22 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 194.22 Section 194... General Requirements § 194.22 Quality assurance. (a)(1) As soon as practicable after April 9, 1996, the Department shall adhere to a quality assurance program that implements the requirements of ASME NQA-1-1989...

Software Quality Assurance Audits Guidebooks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The growth in cost and importance of software to NASA has caused NASA to address the improvement of software development across the agency. One of the products of this program is a series of guidebooks that define a NASA concept of the assurance processes that are used in software development. The Software Assurance Guidebook, NASA-GB-A201, issued in September, 1989, provides an overall picture of the NASA concepts and practices in software assurance. Second level guidebooks focus on specific activities that fall within the software assurance discipline, and provide more detailed information for the manager and/or practitioner. This is the second level Software Quality Assurance Audits Guidebook that describes software quality assurance audits in a way that is compatible with practices at NASA Centers.

Quality assurance program for molecular medicine laboratories.

PubMed

Hajia, M; Safadel, N; Samiee, S Mirab; Dahim, P; Anjarani, S; Nafisi, N; Sohrabi, A; Rafiee, M; Sabzavi, F; Entekhabi, B

2013-01-01

Molecular diagnostic methods have played and continuing to have a critical role in clinical laboratories in recent years. Therefore, standardization is an evolutionary process that needs to be upgrade with increasing scientific knowledge, improvement of the instruments and techniques. The aim of this study was to design a quality assurance program in order to have similar conditions for all medical laboratories engaging with molecular tests. We had to design a plan for all four elements; required space conditions, equipments, training, and basic guidelines. Necessary guidelines was prepared and confirmed by the launched specific committee at the Health Reference Laboratory. Several workshops were also held for medical laboratories directors and staffs, quality control manager of molecular companies, directors and nominees from universities. Accreditation of equipments and molecular material was followed parallel with rest of program. Now we are going to accredit medical laboratories and to evaluate the success of the program. Accreditation of medical laboratory will be succeeding if its basic elements are provided in advance. Professional practice guidelines, holding training and performing accreditation the molecular materials and equipments ensured us that laboratories are aware of best practices, proper interpretation, limitations of techniques, and technical issues. Now, active external auditing can improve the applied laboratory conditions toward the defined standard level.

Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing Quality Culture. ENQA Workshop Report 16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), 2010

2010-01-01

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, UK), organised a seminar on theme "Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing quality culture" which was held on 8-9 June, 2010 in London, United Kingdom. The seminar marked the fourth annual meeting of the ENQA…

Modernization of software quality assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhaumik, Gokul

1988-01-01

The customers satisfaction depends not only on functional performance, it also depends on the quality characteristics of the software products. An examination of this quality aspect of software products will provide a clear, well defined framework for quality assurance functions, which improve the life-cycle activities of software development. Software developers must be aware of the following aspects which have been expressed by many quality experts: quality cannot be added on; the level of quality built into a program is a function of the quality attributes employed during the development process; and finally, quality must be managed. These concepts have guided our development of the following definition for a Software Quality Assurance function: Software Quality Assurance is a formal, planned approach of actions designed to evaluate the degree of an identifiable set of quality attributes present in all software systems and their products. This paper is an explanation of how this definition was developed and how it is used.

Quality assurance in the treatment of colorectal cancer: the EURECCA initiative.

PubMed

Breugom, A J; Boelens, P G; van den Broek, C B M; Cervantes, A; Van Cutsem, E; Schmoll, H J; Valentini, V; van de Velde, C J H

2014-08-01

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Europe. Over the past few decades, important advances have been made in screening, staging and treatment of colorectal cancer. However, considerable variation between and within European countries remains, which implies that further improvements are possible. The most important remaining question now is: when are we, health care professionals, delivering the best available care to patients with colon or rectal cancer? Currently, quality assurance is a major issue in colorectal cancer care and quality assurance awareness is developing in almost all disciplines involved in the treatment of colorectal cancer patients. Quality assurance has shown to be effective in clinical trials. For example, standardisation and quality control were introduced in the Dutch TME trial and led to marked improvements of local control and survival in rectal cancer patients. Besides, audit structures can also be very effective in monitoring cancer management and national audits showed to further improve outcome in colorectal cancer patients. To reduce the differences between European countries, an international, multidisciplinary, outcome-based quality improvement programme, European Registration of Cancer Care (EURECCA), has been initiated. In the near future, the EURECCA dataset will perform research on subgroups as elderly patients or patients with comorbidities, which are often excluded from trials. For optimal colorectal cancer care, quality assurance in guideline formation and in multidisciplinary team management is also of great importance. The aim of this review was to create greater awareness and to give an overview of quality assurance in the management of colorectal cancer. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Topic identification for cross-sectoral quality assurance in stroke and TIA treatment].

PubMed

Meyer, Sven; Willms, Gerald; Broge, Björn; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2016-10-01

The development of cross-sectoral quality assurance programs usually requires extensive topic identification. Illustrated by the complex processes of care for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), a method for comprehensive topic identification is presented. The first step involves a thorough literature search in terms of systematic reviews, health technology assessments, guidelines, studies into healthcare delivery and the use of specific instruments. Routine data as well as epidemiologic studies are used to analyze the reality of service provision. In addition, experts are consulted to gain expertise concerning deficits of care, approaches to quality assurance and experience with existing quality assurance programs. Furthermore individual patient experiences are collected to add the patients' perceptions of care. Because of the limitation on the regulatory scope of Book V of the German Social Code, which, in this case, was necessary, another source of information was the legal framework and its impact on rescue chain, acute treatment and rehabilitation. Existent quality management systems, accreditations and quality assurance programs in prevention, acute treatment and rehabilitation have been searched in order to avoid any overlap with existing measures. After identifying a total of 71 quality targets according to deficits of care, recommendations for care and expert opinions in primary and secondary prevention, rescue chain, acute treatment, rehabilitation and supply of assistive equipment and therapies, respectively, the usability of instruments was tested. These instruments included case documentation, patient surveys and routine data. 14 quality targets proved to be reproducible by these instruments and were included in the recommendations for a cross-sectoral quality assurance program for stroke and TIA. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Improving patient safety through quality assurance.

PubMed

Raab, Stephen S

2006-05-01

Anatomic pathology laboratories use several quality assurance tools to detect errors and to improve patient safety. To review some of the anatomic pathology laboratory patient safety quality assurance practices. Different standards and measures in anatomic pathology quality assurance and patient safety were reviewed. Frequency of anatomic pathology laboratory error, variability in the use of specific quality assurance practices, and use of data for error reduction initiatives. Anatomic pathology error frequencies vary according to the detection method used. Based on secondary review, a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study showed that the mean laboratory error frequency was 6.7%. A College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks study measuring frozen section discrepancy found that laboratories improved the longer they monitored and shared data. There is a lack of standardization across laboratories even for governmentally mandated quality assurance practices, such as cytologic-histologic correlation. The National Institutes of Health funded a consortium of laboratories to benchmark laboratory error frequencies, perform root cause analysis, and design error reduction initiatives, using quality assurance data. Based on the cytologic-histologic correlation process, these laboratories found an aggregate nongynecologic error frequency of 10.8%. Based on gynecologic error data, the laboratory at my institution used Toyota production system processes to lower gynecologic error frequencies and to improve Papanicolaou test metrics. Laboratory quality assurance practices have been used to track error rates, and laboratories are starting to use these data for error reduction initiatives.

[Quality assurance in interventional cardiology].

PubMed

Gülker, H

2009-10-01

Quality assurance in clinical studies aiming at approval of pharmaceutical products is submitted to strict rules, controls and auditing regulations. Comparative instruments to ensure quality in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are not available in interventional cardiology, likewise in other fields of cardiovascular medicine. Quality assurance simply consists of "quality registers" with basic data not externally controlled. Based on the experiences of clinical studies and their long history of standardization it is assumed that these data may be severely flawed thus being inappropriate to set standards for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The precondition for quality assurance are quality data. In invasive coronary angiography and intervention medical indications, the decision making process interventional versus surgical revascularization, technical performance and after - care are essential aspects affecting quality of diagnostics and therapy. Quality data are externally controlled data. To collect quality data an appropriate infrastructure is a necessary precondition which is not existent. For an appropriate infrastructure investments have to be done both to build up as well as to sustain the necessary preconditions. As long as there are no infrastructure and no investments there will be no "quality data". There exist simply registers of data which are not proved to be a basis for significant assurance and enhancement in quality in interventional coronary cardiology. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart, New York.

European Standards for Quality Assurance and Institutional Practices of Student Assessment in the UK, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohoutek, Jan

2014-01-01

This article analyses the student assessment procedures of 12 universities in the UK, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic with respect to their alignment with the European standards and guidelines on the quality of assessing higher education students (European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance [ESG] 1.3). Based on qualitative…

Material quality assurance risk assessment : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-01-01

With the shift from quality control (QC) of materials and placement techniques : to quality assurance (QA) and acceptance over the years, the role of the Office : of Materials Technology (OMT) has been shifting towards assurance of : material quality...

A national analytical quality assurance program: Developing guidelines and analytical tools for the forest inventory and analysis program

Treesearch

Phyllis C. Adams; Glenn A. Christensen

2012-01-01

A rigorous quality assurance (QA) process assures that the data and information provided by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program meet the highest possible standards of precision, completeness, representativeness, comparability, and accuracy. FIA relies on its analysts to check the final data quality prior to release of a State’s data to the national FIA...

10 CFR 71.103 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 71.103 Section 71.103... Quality Assurance § 71.103 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, 2 certificate holder, and... that are important to safety have been correctly performed. (c) The persons and organizations...

10 CFR 71.103 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 71.103 Section 71.103... Quality Assurance § 71.103 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, 2 certificate holder, and... that are important to safety have been correctly performed. (c) The persons and organizations...

10 CFR 71.135 - Quality assurance records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance records. 71.135 Section 71.135 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PACKAGING AND TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Quality Assurance § 71.135 Quality assurance records. The licensee, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC...

49 CFR 180.505 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quality assurance program. 180.505 Section 180.505... MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars § 180.505 Quality assurance program. The quality assurance program requirements of § 179.7 of this subchapter apply. ...

48 CFR 37.604 - Quality assurance surveillance plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... surveillance plans. 37.604 Section 37.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... assurance surveillance plans. Requirements for quality assurance and quality assurance surveillance plans are in Subpart 46.4. The Government may either prepare the quality assurance surveillance plan or...

48 CFR 37.604 - Quality assurance surveillance plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... surveillance plans. 37.604 Section 37.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... assurance surveillance plans. Requirements for quality assurance and quality assurance surveillance plans are in Subpart 46.4. The Government may either prepare the quality assurance surveillance plan or...

48 CFR 37.604 - Quality assurance surveillance plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... surveillance plans. 37.604 Section 37.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... assurance surveillance plans. Requirements for quality assurance and quality assurance surveillance plans are in Subpart 46.4. The Government may either prepare the quality assurance surveillance plan or...

48 CFR 37.604 - Quality assurance surveillance plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... surveillance plans. 37.604 Section 37.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... assurance surveillance plans. Requirements for quality assurance and quality assurance surveillance plans are in Subpart 46.4. The Government may either prepare the quality assurance surveillance plan or...

48 CFR 37.604 - Quality assurance surveillance plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... surveillance plans. 37.604 Section 37.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... assurance surveillance plans. Requirements for quality assurance and quality assurance surveillance plans are in Subpart 46.4. The Government may either prepare the quality assurance surveillance plan or...

42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585...) § 441.585 Quality assurance system. (a) States must establish and maintain a comprehensive, continuous...

10 CFR 71.105 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance program. 71.105 Section 71.105 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PACKAGING AND TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Quality Assurance § 71.105 Quality assurance program. (a) The licensee, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC...

10 CFR 72.174 - Quality assurance records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance records. 72.174 Section 72.174 Energy... NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.174 Quality assurance records. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 72.144 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance program. 72.144 Section 72.144 Energy... NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.144 Quality assurance program. (a) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder...

10 CFR 72.174 - Quality assurance records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance records. 72.174 Section 72.174 Energy... NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.174 Quality assurance records. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 72.174 - Quality assurance records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance records. 72.174 Section 72.174 Energy... NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.174 Quality assurance records. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and...

10 CFR 72.174 - Quality assurance records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance records. 72.174 Section 72.174 Energy... NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality Assurance § 72.174 Quality assurance records. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and...

Quality Assurance Program for Molecular Medicine Laboratories

PubMed Central

Hajia, M; Safadel, N; Samiee, S Mirab; Dahim, P; Anjarani, S; Nafisi, N; Sohrabi, A; Rafiee, M; Sabzavi, F; Entekhabi, B

2013-01-01

Background: Molecular diagnostic methods have played and continuing to have a critical role in clinical laboratories in recent years. Therefore, standardization is an evolutionary process that needs to be upgrade with increasing scientific knowledge, improvement of the instruments and techniques. The aim of this study was to design a quality assurance program in order to have similar conditions for all medical laboratories engaging with molecular tests. Methods: We had to design a plan for all four elements; required space conditions, equipments, training, and basic guidelines. Necessary guidelines was prepared and confirmed by the launched specific committee at the Health Reference Laboratory. Results: Several workshops were also held for medical laboratories directors and staffs, quality control manager of molecular companies, directors and nominees from universities. Accreditation of equipments and molecular material was followed parallel with rest of program. Now we are going to accredit medical laboratories and to evaluate the success of the program. Conclusion: Accreditation of medical laboratory will be succeeding if its basic elements are provided in advance. Professional practice guidelines, holding training and performing accreditation the molecular materials and equipments ensured us that laboratories are aware of best practices, proper interpretation, limitations of techniques, and technical issues. Now, active external auditing can improve the applied laboratory conditions toward the defined standard level. PMID:23865028

Opinion of gastroenterologists towards quality assurance in endoscopy.

PubMed

de Jonge, Vincent; Kuipers, Ernst J; van Leerdam, Monique E

2011-03-01

Quality assurance has become an important issue. Many societies are adopting quality assurance programs in order to monitor and improve quality of care. To assess the opinion of gastroenterologists towards quality assurance on the endoscopy department. A survey was sent to all gastroenterologists (n=319) in the Netherlands. It assessed their opinion on a quality assurance program for endoscopy units, including its design, logistics, and content. 200 gastroenterologists (63%) completed the questionnaire. 95% had a positive opinion towards quality assurance and 67% supposed an increase in quality. 28% assumed a negative impact on the time available for patient contact by introducing a quality assurance program and 35% that the capacity would decrease. A negative attitude towards disclosure of results to insurance companies (23%) and media (53%) was reported. Female gastroenterologists were less positive to share the results with other stakeholders (p<0.05). Most important quality measurements were assessment of complications (97%), standardised reporting (96%), and adequate patient information (95%). Gastroenterologists have a positive attitude towards quality assurance. However, concerns do exist about time investment and disclosure of results to others. Information provision and procedure characteristics were considered the most important aspects of quality assurance. Copyright © 2010 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 652.7 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance. 652.7 Section 652.7 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE SUPPORT ACTIVITIES TECHNICAL SERVICE PROVIDER ASSISTANCE General Provisions § 652.7 Quality assurance. (a) NRCS will review, in consultation with the Farm Service Agency, as appropriate, the quality...

Recent Trends in Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amaral, Alberto; Rosa, Maria Joao

2010-01-01

In this paper we present a brief description of the evolution of quality assurance in Europe, paying particular attention to its relationship to the rising loss of trust in higher education institutions. We finalise by analysing the role of the European Commission in the setting up of new quality assurance mechanisms that tend to promote…

Flight Dynamics Mission Support and Quality Assurance Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, InHwan

1996-01-01

This paper summarizes the method of the Computer Sciences Corporation Flight Dynamics Operation (FDO) quality assurance approach to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Support Branch. Historically, a strong need has existed for developing systematic quality assurance using methods that account for the unique nature and environment of satellite Flight Dynamics mission support. Over the past few years FDO has developed and implemented proactive quality assurance processes applied to each of the six phases of the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle: systems and operations concept, system requirements and specifications, software development support, operations planing and training, launch support, and on-orbit mission operations. Rather than performing quality assurance as a final step after work is completed, quality assurance has been built in as work progresses in the form of process assurance. Process assurance activities occur throughout the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle. The FDO Product Assurance Office developed process checklists for prephase process reviews, mission team orientations, in-progress reviews, and end-of-phase audits. This paper will outline the evolving history of FDO quality assurance approaches, discuss the tailoring of Computer Science Corporations's process assurance cycle procedures, describe some of the quality assurance approaches that have been or are being developed, and present some of the successful results.

48 CFR 246.470 - Government contract quality assurance actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... quality assurance actions. 246.470 Section 246.470 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 246.470 Government contract quality assurance actions. ...

SWiFT Software Quality Assurance Plan.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Jonathan Charles

This document describes the software development practice areas and processes which contribute to the ability of SWiFT software developers to provide quality software. These processes are designed to satisfy the requirements set forth by the Sandia Software Quality Assurance Program (SSQAP). APPROVALS SWiFT Software Quality Assurance Plan (SAND2016-0765) approved by: Department Manager SWiFT Site Lead Dave Minster (6121) Date Jonathan White (6121) Date SWiFT Controls Engineer Jonathan Berg (6121) Date CHANGE HISTORY Issue Date Originator(s) Description A 2016/01/27 Jon Berg (06121) Initial release of the SWiFT Software Quality Assurance Plan

40 CFR 75.21 - Quality assurance and quality control requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance and quality control... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORING Operation and Maintenance Requirements § 75.21 Quality assurance and quality control requirements. (a) Continuous emission monitoring systems. The owner or...

The quality assurance-risk management interface.

PubMed

Little, N

1992-08-01

Involvement with both risk management and quality assurance programs has led many authors to the conclusion that the fundamental differences between these activities are, in fact, very small. "At the point of overlap, it is almost impossible to distinguish the purposes and methods of both functions from one another." "Good risk management includes real improvement in patient care through organized quality assurance activities." The interface between a proactive risk management program and a quality assurance program is dynamic and can serve the legitimate interests of both. There is little to be gained by thinking of them as separate entities and much to be gained by sharing the lessons of both. If one thinks of risk management in terms of "risk" to quality patient care, and that "assuring quality" is the most productive type of risk management, then there is no practical reason to separate one from the other.

[Quality assurance in ENT tumor surgery].

PubMed

Eckel, H E; Streppel, M; Schmalenbach, K; Volling, P; Schrappe, M; Dietz, A; Bootz, F

2000-12-01

Quality control is of special importance in head and neck oncology since the quality of medical care constitutes a vital parameter for the diseased patient. In contrast to other medical specialties, no quality assurance program for head and neck cancer patients has yet been established in Germany. Therefore, a survey was conducted to assess the quality assurance instruments that are in use today in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck (ORL-HNS) centers. In a nationwide survey, questionnaires were sent out to 146 German ORL-HNS departments (the return rate was 75%). 56% of all departments apply dedicated quality assurance processes, and 38% have appointed a formal quality assurance officer. Interdisciplinary oncological conferences are held in the vast majority of all departments with the participation of radiation oncologists in 86 (78%), medical oncologists in 84 (76%), diagnostic radiologists in 82 (74%), and pathologists in 73 (66%). Morbidity-mortality conferences are held in seven departments (6%). A standardized follow-up of oncological patients is carried out in 95 units (86%), and 53 departments use computer-assisted data bases to organize their follow-up data (48%). A wide variety of documentation systems is in use throughout the country: 78 units (71%) offer formal follow-up to their oncological patients. This survey documents a wide-spread interest in quality assurance procedures. Many individual efforts are being undertaken. However, no uniform quality assurance or auditing system is currently in use in Germany nor is a commonly accepted data base available. The ability to offer oncological follow-up within the national social security system is generally considered indispensable for the maintenance of high-quality oncological care in ORL-HNS departments.

Quality assurance of medicines supplied to low-income and middle-income countries: poor products in shiny boxes?

PubMed Central

Schiavetti, B; Meessen, B; Pouget, C; Caudron, J M; Marchal, B; Massat, P; Thys, S; Ravinetto, R

2017-01-01

Objective In today's context of globalisation of pharmaceutical production and distribution, international and national procurement agencies play a de facto key role in defining the quality of medicines available in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated the compliance of a sample of pharmaceutical distributors active in sub-Saharan Africa with the standards of the WHO guideline ‘Model Quality Assurance System (WHO MQAS) for procurement agencies’, and we investigated factors favouring or hindering the adequate implementation of the guideline. Methods We used mixed-methods methodology to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative study consisted of a retrospective secondary analysis of data collected by QUAMED (Quality Medicines for all), a partnership that pleads for universal access to quality-assured medicines. The qualitative survey consisted of formal and informal interviews with key informants. We adopted an embedded multiple-case study design. Findings Our analysis suggests that international distributors based in Europe perform, on average, better than sub-Saharan African distributors. However, some weaknesses are ubiquitous and concern critical processes, such as the initial selection of the products and the ongoing reassessment of their quality. This is due to several different factors: weak regulatory oversight, insufficient human/financial resources, weak negotiating power, limited judicial autonomy and/or lack of institutional commitment to quality. Conclusions Our findings suggest that pharmaceutical distributors active in sub-Saharan Africa generally do not apply stringent criteria for selecting products and suppliers. Therefore, product quality is not consistently assured but depends on the requirements of purchasers. While long-term solutions are awaited, the WHO MQAS guideline should be used as an evaluation and training tool to upgrade current standards. PMID:28589013

Software Quality Assurance Metrics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McRae, Kalindra A.

2004-01-01

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is a planned and systematic set of activities that ensures conformance of software life cycle processes and products conform to requirements, standards and procedures. In software development, software quality means meeting requirements and a degree of excellence and refinement of a project or product. Software Quality is a set of attributes of a software product by which its quality is described and evaluated. The set of attributes includes functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. Software Metrics help us understand the technical process that is used to develop a product. The process is measured to improve it and the product is measured to increase quality throughout the life cycle of software. Software Metrics are measurements of the quality of software. Software is measured to indicate the quality of the product, to assess the productivity of the people who produce the product, to assess the benefits derived from new software engineering methods and tools, to form a baseline for estimation, and to help justify requests for new tools or additional training. Any part of the software development can be measured. If Software Metrics are implemented in software development, it can save time, money, and allow the organization to identify the caused of defects which have the greatest effect on software development. The summer of 2004, I worked with Cynthia Calhoun and Frank Robinson in the Software Assurance/Risk Management department. My task was to research and collect, compile, and analyze SQA Metrics that have been used in other projects that are not currently being used by the SA team and report them to the Software Assurance team to see if any metrics can be implemented in their software assurance life cycle process.

Assessment of the NASA Flight Assurance Review Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmes, J.; Pruitt, G.

1983-01-01

The NASA flight assurance review program to develop minimum standard guidelines for flight assurance reviews was assessed. Documents from NASA centers and NASA headquarters to determine current design review practices and procedures were evaluated. Six reviews were identified for the recommended minimum. The practices and procedures used at the different centers to incorporate the most effective ones into the minimum standard review guidelines were analyzed and guidelines for procedures, personnel and responsibilies, review items/data checklist, and feedback and closeout were defined. The six recommended reviews and the minimum standards guidelines developed for flight assurance reviews are presented. Observations and conclusions for further improving the NASA review and quality assurance process are outlined.

7 CFR 90.102 - Quality assurance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... INTRODUCTION Quality Assurance § 90.102 Quality assurance review. (a) Each laboratory performing tests and... review of the adequacy of quality control measures taken by the laboratory for the standardized method of...

7 CFR 90.102 - Quality assurance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... INTRODUCTION Quality Assurance § 90.102 Quality assurance review. (a) Each laboratory performing tests and... review of the adequacy of quality control measures taken by the laboratory for the standardized method of...

7 CFR 90.102 - Quality assurance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... INTRODUCTION Quality Assurance § 90.102 Quality assurance review. (a) Each laboratory performing tests and... review of the adequacy of quality control measures taken by the laboratory for the standardized method of...

7 CFR 90.102 - Quality assurance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... INTRODUCTION Quality Assurance § 90.102 Quality assurance review. (a) Each laboratory performing tests and... review of the adequacy of quality control measures taken by the laboratory for the standardized method of...

10 CFR 830.121 - Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... changes continue to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. (4) Conduct work in accordance with the... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 830.121 Section 830.121 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT Quality Assurance Requirements § 830.121 Quality...

10 CFR 830.121 - Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... changes continue to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. (4) Conduct work in accordance with the... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 830.121 Section 830.121 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT Quality Assurance Requirements § 830.121 Quality...

10 CFR 830.121 - Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... changes continue to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. (4) Conduct work in accordance with the... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 830.121 Section 830.121 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT Quality Assurance Requirements § 830.121 Quality...

10 CFR 830.121 - Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... changes continue to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. (4) Conduct work in accordance with the... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 830.121 Section 830.121 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT Quality Assurance Requirements § 830.121 Quality...

48 CFR 2453.246 - Quality Assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Quality Assurance. 2453.246 Section 2453.246 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Prescription of Forms 2453.246 Quality Assurance. ...

78 FR 7816 - Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-04

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0021] Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations...), DG-1300, ``Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations).'' DATES: Submit comments by April 1... CFR Part 50, Appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing...

10 CFR 72.142 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 72.142 Section 72.142... Assurance § 72.142 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate... writing the authority and duties of persons and organizations performing activities affecting the...

10 CFR 72.142 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 72.142 Section 72.142... Assurance § 72.142 Quality assurance organization. (a) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate... writing the authority and duties of persons and organizations performing activities affecting the...

78 FR 37850 - Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-24

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0021] Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operations... Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a revision to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.33, ``Quality Assurance Program... managerial and administrative Quality Assurance (QA) controls for nuclear power plants during operations...

10 CFR 830.121 - Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality Assurance Program (QAP). 830.121 Section 830.121 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT Quality Assurance Requirements § 830.121 Quality... the Quality Assurance criteria in § 830.122. (b) The contractor responsible for a DOE nuclear facility...

Quality Assurance in Chinese Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yuan

2010-01-01

Quality assurance has been integrated into the fabric of higher education in China, with the issue of quality in higher education--how to evaluate it and how to enhance it--now taking centre stage in Chinese higher education. In the past decade, the development of quality assurance in Chinese higher education has covered a broad spectrum of…

Quality Assurance and School Monitoring in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mok, Magdalena Mo Ching

2007-01-01

This study reports on the Hong Kong education quality assurance and school monitoring system. Three research questions were addressed: (1) Who controls the quality of school education in Hong Kong? (2) What strategies are used in the Hong Kong school education quality assurance process? (3) Agenda for Future Research on quality assurance and…

Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Part 2.

PubMed

Akers, Michael J

2015-01-01

The tragedy surrounding the New England Compounding Center and contaminated steroid syringe preparations clearly points out what can happen if quality-assurance and quality-control procedures are not strictly practiced in the compounding of sterile preparations. This article is part 2 of a two-part article on requirements to comply with United States Pharmacopeia general chapters <797> and <1163> with respect to quality assurance of compounded sterile preparations. Part 1 covered documentation requirements, inspection procedures, compounding accuracy checks, and part of a discussion on bacterial endotoxin testing. Part 2 covers sterility testing, the completion from part 1 on bacterial endotoxin testing, a brief dicussion of United States Pharmacopeia <1163>, and advances in pharmaceutical quality systems.

21 CFR 892.1940 - Radiologic quality assurance instrument.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Radiologic quality assurance instrument. 892.1940... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES RADIOLOGY DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 892.1940 Radiologic quality assurance instrument. (a) Identification. A radiologic quality assurance instrument is a device intended for medical...

Quality assurance for health and environmental chemistry: 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gautier, M.A.; Gladney, E.S.; Koski, N.L.

1991-10-01

This report documents the continuing quality assurance efforts of the Health and Environmental Chemistry Group (HSE-9) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The philosophy, methodology, computing resources, and laboratory information management system used by the quality assurance program to encompass the diversity of analytical chemistry practiced in the group are described. Included in the report are all quality assurance reference materials used, along with their certified or consensus concentrations, and all analytical chemistry quality assurance measurements made by HSE-9 during 1990.

10 CFR 63.144 - Quality assurance program change.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality assurance program change. 63.144 Section 63.144 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES IN A GEOLOGIC... assurance program information that duplicates language in quality assurance regulatory guides and quality...

Academic Achievement Standards and Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, D. Royce

2017-01-01

Quality assurance processes have been applied to many aspects of higher education, including teaching, learning and assessment. At least in the latter domain, quality assurance needs its fundamental tenets critically scrutinised. A common but inadequate approach has been to identify and promote learning environment changes "likely to…

30 CFR 7.7 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 7.7 Section 7.7 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF MINING PRODUCTS TESTING BY APPLICANT OR THIRD PARTY General § 7.7 Quality assurance. Applicants granted...

Deconstructing Institutionalisation of the European Standards for Quality Assurance: From Instrument Mixes to Quality Cultures and Implications for International Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohoutek, Jan

2016-01-01

The paper enquires into the implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines for Internal Quality Assurance of Higher Education Institutions (ESG 1). The enquiry uses data from universities in the Czech Republic and compares them against those obtained in the relevant pan-European survey. The aims are to empirically deconstruct ESG 1…

Single-Subject Evaluation: A Tool for Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuehring, Elane M.; Pascone, Anne B.

1986-01-01

The use of single-subject designs in peer review, in utilization review, and in other quality-assurance audits is encouraged. Presents an overview of the methodologies of single-subject designs and quality assurance, and provides examples of cases in which single-subject techniques furnished relevant quality assurance documentation. (Author/ABB)

[Quality assurance of emergency medical work].

PubMed

Sunde, H G

1995-03-30

Patients attending a casualty department often have diseases or injuries needing urgent medical attention. Early and correct diagnosis and treatment may be of major importance for the medical outcome. The continuity of staff is often low, with many doctors and nurses working part time. This may represent a threat to the quality of the medical work. Quality assurance at a casualty department through good training, introduction of written rules, a good flow of information to the staff and local licensing of doctors are factors which can assure that the quality of the medical service remains the best. This paper presents the work done at The Tromsø Municipal Casualty Department to assure the quality of the medical service to the population.

Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folkert Boersma, K.; Muller, Jan-Peter

2015-04-01

Satellite data are of central interest to the QA4ECV project. Satellites have revolutionized the Earth's observation system of climate change and air quality over the past three decades, providing continuous data for the entire Earth. However, many users of these data are lost in the fog as to the quality of these satellite data. Because of this, the European Union expressed in its 2013 FP7 Space Research Call a need for reliable, traceable, and understandable quality information on satellite data records that could serve as a blueprint contribution to a future Copernicus Climate Change Service. The potential of satellite data to benefit climate change and air quality services is too great to be ignored. QA4ECV therefore bridges the gap between end-users of satellite data and the satellite data products. We are developing an internationally acceptable Quality Assurance (QA) framework that provides understandable and traceable quality information for satellite data used in climate and air quality services. Such a framework should deliver the historically linked long-term data sets that users need, in a format that they can readily use. QA4ECV has approached more than 150 users and suppliers of satellite data to collect their needs and expectations. The project will use their response as a guideline for developing user-friendly tools to obtain information on the completeness, accuracy, and fitness-for-purpose of the satellite datasets. QA4ECV collaborates with 4 joint FP7 Space projects in reaching out to scientists, policy makers, and other end-users of satellite data to improve understanding of the special challenges -and also opportunities- of working with satellite data for climate and air quality purposes. As a demonstration of its capacity, QA4ECV will generate multi-decadal climate data records for 3 atmospheric ECV precursors (nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide) and 3 land ECVs (albedo, leaf area index and absorbed photosynthetically active

Assuring quality in high-consequence engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoover, Marcey L.; Kolb, Rachel R.

2014-03-01

In high-consequence engineering organizations, such as Sandia, quality assurance may be heavily dependent on staff competency. Competency-dependent quality assurance models are at risk when the environment changes, as it has with increasing attrition rates, budget and schedule cuts, and competing program priorities. Risks in Sandia's competency-dependent culture can be mitigated through changes to hiring, training, and customer engagement approaches to manage people, partners, and products. Sandia's technical quality engineering organization has been able to mitigate corporate-level risks by driving changes that benefit all departments, and in doing so has assured Sandia's commitment to excellence in high-consequence engineering and national service.

Quality Assurance in Sub-Saharan Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Materu, Peter; Righetti, Petra

2010-01-01

This article assesses the status and practice of higher education quality assurance in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on degree-granting tertiary institutions. A main finding is that structured national-level quality assurance processes in African higher education are a very recent phenomenon and that most countries face major capacity constraints.…

30 CFR 14.8 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 14.8 Section 14.8 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF... Quality assurance. Applicants granted an approval or an extension of approval under this Part must: (a) In...

30 CFR 15.8 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality assurance. 15.8 Section 15.8 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF... § 15.8 Quality assurance. (a) Applicants granted an approval or an extension of approval under this...

Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Proposals for Consultation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Funding Council for England, Bristol.

This document sets out for consultation proposals for a revised method for quality assurance of teaching and learning in higher education. The proposals cover: (1) the objectives and principles of quality assurance; (2) an approach to quality assurance based on external audit principles; (3) the collection and publication of information; (4)…

Quality assurance in pathology in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis—European recommendations

PubMed Central

Quirke, Phil; Risio, Mauro; Lambert, René; von Karsa, Lawrence

2010-01-01

In Europe, colorectal cancer is the most common newly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths, accounting for approximately 436,000 incident cases and 212,000 deaths in 2008. The potential of high-quality screening to improve control of the disease has been recognized by the Council of the European Union who issued a recommendation on cancer screening in 2003. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based European Guidelines for quality assurance in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis have recently been developed by experts in a pan-European project coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The full guideline document consists of ten chapters and an extensive evidence base. The content of the chapter dealing with pathology in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis is presented here in order to promote international discussion and collaboration leading to improvements in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis by making the principles and standards recommended in the new EU Guidelines known to a wider scientific community. PMID:21061133

Cervical cancer screening in Europe: Quality assurance and organisation of programmes.

PubMed

Elfström, K Miriam; Arnheim-Dahlström, Lisen; von Karsa, Lawrence; Dillner, Joakim

2015-05-01

Cervical screening programmes have reduced cervical cancer incidence and mortality but the level of success is highly variable between countries. Organisation of programmes is essential for equity and cost-effectiveness. However, there are differences in effectiveness, also among organised programmes. In order to identify the key organisational components that determine effectiveness, we performed a Europe-wide survey on the current status of organisation and organised quality assurance (QA) measures in cervical cancer prevention programmes, as well as organisation-associated costs. A comprehensive questionnaire was developed through systematic review of literature and existing guidelines. The survey was sent to programme organisers, Ministries of Health and experts in 34 European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries. Detailed aspects of programme organisation, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation and corresponding line-item costs were recorded. Documentation of programme guidelines, protocols and publications was requested. Twenty-nine of 34 countries responded. The results showed that organised efforts for QA, monitoring and evaluation were carried out to a differing extent and were not standardised, making it difficult to compare the cost-effectiveness of organisation and QA strategies. Most countries found it hard to estimate the costs associated with launching and operating the organised programme. To our knowledge, this is the first questionnaire to request detailed information on the actual organisation and QA of programmes. The results of this survey can be used as a basis for further development of standardised guidelines on organisation and QA of cervical cancer screening programmes in Europe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: external quality assessment and comparative testing for reference and in-clinic laboratories.

PubMed

Camus, Melinda S; Flatland, Bente; Freeman, Kathleen P; Cruz Cardona, Janice A

2015-12-01

The purpose of this document is to educate providers of veterinary laboratory diagnostic testing in any setting about comparative testing. These guidelines will define, explain, and illustrate the importance of a multi-faceted laboratory quality management program which includes comparative testing. The guidelines will provide suggestions for implementation of such testing, including which samples should be tested, frequency of testing, and recommendations for result interpretation. Examples and a list of vendors and manufacturers supplying control materials and services to veterinary laboratories are also included. © 2015 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Quality Assurance Reconsidered: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gynnild, Vidar

2007-01-01

This article examines an external evaluation of the quality assurance system at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) conducted by The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NOKUT). The external audit report along with internal reports provided by the seven faculties of the university served as the major…

10 CFR 72.142 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, but the... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 72.142 Section 72.142... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality...

10 CFR 72.142 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, but the... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 72.142 Section 72.142... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality...

10 CFR 72.142 - Quality assurance organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., or consultants, the work of establishing and executing the quality assurance program, but the... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality assurance organization. 72.142 Section 72.142... SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C WASTE Quality...

Informatics Futures in Dental Education and Research: Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crall, James J.

1991-01-01

The paper addresses the potential of informatics to patient care quality assurance curricula, focusing on (1) terminology and developments related to quality of care evaluations; (2) criticisms of traditional approaches; (3) limitations of existing data sources for quality assurance in dentistry; and (4) quality assurance considerations in…

[Quality assurance and total quality management in residential home care].

PubMed

Nübling, R; Schrempp, C; Kress, G; Löschmann, C; Neubart, R; Kuhlmey, A

2004-02-01

Quality, quality assurance, and quality management have been important topics in residential care homes for several years. However, only as a result of reform processes in the German legislation (long-term care insurance, care quality assurance) is a systematic discussion taking place. Furthermore, initiatives and holistic model projects, which deal with the assessment and improvement of service quality, were developed in the field of care for the elderly. The present article gives a critical overview of essential developments. Different comprehensive approaches such as the implementation of quality management systems, nationwide expert-based initiatives, and developments towards professionalizing care are discussed. Empirically based approaches, especially those emphasizing the assessment of outcome quality, are focused on in this work. Overall, the authors conclude that in the past few years comprehensive efforts have been made to improve the quality of care. However, the current situation still requires much work to establish a nationwide launch and implementation of evidence-based quality assurance and quality management.

Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area: The Emergence of a German Market for Quality Assurance Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serrano-Velarde, Kathia E.

2008-01-01

Most European countries have introduced systematic quality assurance as part of an overall governance reform aimed at enhancing universities' autonomy. Researchers and economic entrepreneurs tend, however, to underestimate the political dimension of accreditation and evaluation when they consider the contribution of quality assurance to the…

[Quality assurance and quality management in intensive care].

PubMed

Notz, K; Dubb, R; Kaltwasser, A; Hermes, C; Pfeffer, S

2015-11-01

Treatment success in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units, is directly tied to quality of structure, process, and outcomes. Technological and medical advancements lead to ever more complex treatment situations with highly specialized tasks in intensive care nursing. Quality criteria that can be used to describe and correctly measure those highly complex multiprofessional situations have only been recently developed and put into practice.In this article, it will be shown how quality in multiprofessional teams can be definded and assessed in daily clinical practice. Core aspects are the choice of a nursing theory, quality assurance measures, and quality management. One possible option of quality assurance is the use of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Quality can ultimately only be achieved if professional groups think beyond their boundaries, minimize errors, and establish and live out instructions and SOPs.

The Concepts of Quality, Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elassy, Noha

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to critically review and discuss different definitions of the concepts of quality, quality assurance (QA) and quality enhancement (QE) in higher education (HE) with presenting critical perspectives of the literature. Design/methodology/approach: The paper looks at literature concerns with the meaning of quality, QA and QE,…

Assuring quality in narrative analysis.

PubMed

Bailey, P H

1996-04-01

Many nurse-researchers using qualitative strategies have been concerned with assuring quality in their work. The early literature reveals that the concepts of validity and reliability, as understood from the positivist perspective, are somehow inappropriate and inadequate when applied to interpretive research. More recent literature suggests that because of the positivist and interpretive paradigms are epistemologically divergent, the transfer of quality criteria from one perspective to the other is not automatic or even reasonable. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to clarify what the terms quality, trustworthiness, credibility, authenticity, and goodness mean in qualitative research findings. The process of assuring quality, validation, in qualitative research will be discussed within the context of the interpretive method, narrative analysis. A brief review of quality in narrative analysis nursing research will also be presented.

15 CFR 996.31 - Termination of the Quality Assurance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Other Quality Assurance Program Matters § 996.31 Termination of the Quality Assurance Program. (a) NOAA reserves the right to terminate the...

15 CFR 996.31 - Termination of the Quality Assurance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Other Quality Assurance Program Matters § 996.31 Termination of the Quality Assurance Program. (a) NOAA reserves the right to terminate the...

15 CFR 996.31 - Termination of the Quality Assurance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Other Quality Assurance Program Matters § 996.31 Termination of the Quality Assurance Program. (a) NOAA reserves the right to terminate the...

15 CFR 996.31 - Termination of the Quality Assurance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Other Quality Assurance Program Matters § 996.31 Termination of the Quality Assurance Program. (a) NOAA reserves the right to terminate the...

2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop |

Science.gov Websites

Photovoltaic Research | NREL International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop 2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop Wednesday, February 25, 2015 Chairs : Tony Sample and Masaaki Yamamichi The 2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT

Quality assurance program plan for radionuclide airborne emissions monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boom, R.J.

1995-12-01

This Quality Assurance Program Plan identifies quality assurance program requirements and addresses the various Westinghouse Hanford Company organizations and their particular responsibilities in regards to sample and data handling of radiological airborne emissions. This Quality Assurance Program Plan is prepared in accordance with and to written requirements.

Quality assurance and quality improvement in U.S. clinical molecular genetic laboratories.

PubMed

Chen, Bin; Richards, C Sue; Wilson, Jean Amos; Lyon, Elaine

2011-04-01

A robust quality-assurance program is essential for laboratories that perform molecular genetic testing to maintain high-quality testing and be able to address challenges associated with performance or delivery of testing services as the use of molecular genetic tests continues to expand in clinical and public health practice. This unit discusses quality-assurance and quality-improvement considerations that are critical for molecular genetic testing performed for heritable diseases and conditions. Specific discussion is provided on applying regulatory standards and best practices in establishing/verifying test performance, ensuring quality of the total testing process, monitoring and maintaining personnel competency, and continuing quality improvement. The unit provides a practical reference for laboratory professionals to use in recognizing and addressing essential quality-assurance issues in human molecular genetic testing. It should also provide useful information for genetics researchers, trainees, and fellows in human genetics training programs, as well as others who are interested in quality assurance and quality improvement for molecular genetic testing. 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

7 CFR 90.102 - Quality assurance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality assurance review. 90.102 Section 90.102 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) COMMODITY LABORATORY TESTING PROGRAMS INTRODUCTION Quality Assurance §...

42 CFR 441.474 - Quality assurance and improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quality assurance and improvement plan. 441.474... SERVICES Optional Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services Program § 441.474 Quality assurance and improvement plan. (a) The State must provide a quality assurance and improvement plan that describes the State...

42 CFR 441.474 - Quality assurance and improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Quality assurance and improvement plan. 441.474... SERVICES Optional Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services Program § 441.474 Quality assurance and improvement plan. (a) The State must provide a quality assurance and improvement plan that describes the State...

42 CFR 441.474 - Quality assurance and improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Quality assurance and improvement plan. 441.474... SERVICES Optional Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services Program § 441.474 Quality assurance and improvement plan. (a) The State must provide a quality assurance and improvement plan that describes the State...

42 CFR 441.474 - Quality assurance and improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Quality assurance and improvement plan. 441.474... SERVICES Optional Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services Program § 441.474 Quality assurance and improvement plan. (a) The State must provide a quality assurance and improvement plan that describes the State...

42 CFR 441.474 - Quality assurance and improvement plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Quality assurance and improvement plan. 441.474... SERVICES Optional Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services Program § 441.474 Quality assurance and improvement plan. (a) The State must provide a quality assurance and improvement plan that describes the State...

10 CFR 71.101 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... quality assurance actions related to control of the physical characteristics and quality of the material... through 71.137 and satisfying any specific provisions that are applicable to the licensee's activities... assurance requirement's importance to safety. (c) Approval of program. (1) Before the use of any package for...

42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving...

42 CFR 441.585 - Quality assurance system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Quality assurance system. 441.585 Section 441.585 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... provides information about the provisions of quality improvement and assurance to each individual receiving...

Savannah River Laboratory quality assurance manual. Revision 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1985-02-01

The SRL quality assurance program is a management activity that verifies that the results of our research and development are adequate for their intended use and that our facilities function properly. The program is based on Savannah River Quality Assurance Plan (DPW-82-111-2, Rev 0) as applied through Quality Assurance Procedures and Divisional Plans (following section). The AED policy states that ''all activities shall be conducted to achieve a high quality of product and performance...'' The policy contains 18 considerations to be applied ''proportional to needs, based on the technical and professional judgment of responsible Du Pont employees.'' Quality is themore » responsibility of each individual and his line organization, as is safety. To ensure that quality is being considered for all SRL activities, all research programs are reviewed, and all facilities are assessed. These assessments and reviews are the nucleus of the Quality Assurance program.« less

Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures

PubMed Central

Manghani, Kishu

2011-01-01

It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company. PMID:21584180

Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures.

PubMed

Manghani, Kishu

2011-01-01

It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

Perspectives on Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lycke, Kirsten Hofgaard

2004-01-01

Quality assurance is well known internationally but the notion is relatively new in Norway. To understand some of the issues and dilemmas that emerge in the Norwegian reception of quality assurance in higher education, this article traces how quality assurance is gaining its form and how international trends are understood, transposed and adopted…

Quality Assurance in Postgraduate Education. ENQA Workshop Report 12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitusikova, Alexandra; Bohrer, Janet; Borosic, Ivana; Costes, Nathalie; Edinsel, Kerim; Hollander, Karoline; Jacobsson, Gunilla; Jakopovic, Ivan Filip; Kearney, Mary-Louise; Mulder, Fred; Negyesi, Judith; Pietzonka, Manuel

2010-01-01

The present report follows an ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) Workshop on Quality Assurance and Postgraduate Education, hosted by the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) in Brasov, Romania on 12-13 March 2009. The workshop was an excellent opportunity for ENQA members to exchange…

Quality Assurance of Quality Assurance Agencies from an Asian Perspective: Regulation, Autonomy and Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Angela Yung-Chi; Ince, Martin; Tsai, Sandy; Chiang, Chung Lin

2015-01-01

As quality guardians of higher education, quality assurance agencies are required to guarantee the credibility of the review process and to ensure the objectivity and transparency of their decisions and recommendations. These agencies are therefore expected to use a range of internal and external approaches to prove the quality of their review…

Exploring Quality Assurance in Sixth Form Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoten, David William

2012-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on the changing nature of quality assurance systems within the sixth form college sector. Design/methodology/approach: Ten sixth form colleges were surveyed across England and staff from varying levels within college hierarchies questioned about how quality assurance systems were implemented. Research involved…

Now & Then: Ingrid Proctor-Fridia: Quality Assurance Representative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Sue; Michalowicz, Karen Dee

1995-01-01

Describes the use of geometry now by a U.S. Department of Defense quality assurance representative and in ancient times by the Egyptians and Babylonians. Includes reproducible student worksheets on quality assurance. (MKR)

Quality Assurance in Continuing Professional Education. An Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tovey, Philip

Based on research conducted in and around universities in the United Kingdom, this book analyzes quality assurance in continuing professional education (CPE). An introduction provides a close look at the terms "quality,""quality assurance," and "CPE." Part I deals with context. Chapter 1 looks at theoretical…

The Development of Evaluation Model for Internal Quality Assurance System of Dramatic Arts College of Bunditpattanasilpa Institute

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinthukhot, Kittisak; Srihamongkol, Yannapat; Luanganggoon, Nuchwana; Suwannoi, Paisan

2013-01-01

The research purpose was to develop an evaluation model for the internal quality assurance system of the dramatic arts College of Bunditpattanasilpa Institute. The Research and Development method was used as research methodology which was divided into three phases; "developing the model and its guideline", "trying out the actual…

Quality Assurance 1992-2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Roger

2012-01-01

As the author's contribution to a series marking the Golden Jubilee of the Association of University Administrators, he reflects on changes in quality assurance over the past twenty years and speculates on what the future may hold for quality as the association moves into a new and very different competitive regime. He begins by discussing the…

Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drake Kirkham; Amy Powell; Lucas Rich

2011-02-01

Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case Drake Kirkham1, Amy Powell2, Lucas Rich3 1Quality Manager, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625 M/S 6122, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-6122 2Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory 3Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory Contact: Voice: (208) 533-7550 Email: Drake.Kirkham@inl.gov Abstract. The Radioisotope Power Systems Program of the Idaho National Laboratory makes an empirical case for a highly integrated Quality Assurance function pertaining to the preparation, assembly, testing, storage and transportation of 238Pu fueled radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Case data represents multiple campaigns including the Pluto/New Horizons mission,more » the Mars Science Laboratory mission in progress, and other related projects. Traditional Quality Assurance models would attempt to reduce cost by minimizing the role of dedicated Quality Assurance personnel in favor of either functional tasking or peer-based implementations. Highly integrated Quality Assurance adds value by placing trained quality inspectors on the production floor side-by-side with nuclear facility operators to enhance team dynamics, reduce inspection wait time, and provide for immediate, independent feedback. Value is also added by maintaining dedicated Quality Engineers to provide for rapid identification and resolution of corrective action, enhanced and expedited supply chain interfaces, improved bonded storage capabilities, and technical resources for requirements management including data package development and Certificates of Inspection. A broad examination of cost-benefit indicates highly integrated Quality Assurance can reduce cost through the mitigation of risk and reducing administrative burden thereby allowing engineers to be engineers, nuclear operators to be nuclear operators, and the cross-functional team to operate more efficiently. Applicability of this

Ontario's Quality Assurance Framework: A Critical Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heap, James

2013-01-01

Ontario's Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) is reviewed and found not to meet all five criteria proposed for a strong quality assurance system focused on student learning. The QAF requires a statement of student learning outcomes and a method and means of assessing those outcomes, but it does not require that data on achievement of intended…

48 CFR 246.402 - Government contract quality assurance at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Government contract... ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 246.402 Government contract quality assurance at source. Do not require...

Revision 2 of the Enbridge Quality Assurance Project Plan

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) presents Revision 2 of the organization, objectives, planned activities, and specific quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures associated with the Enbridge Marshall Pipeline Release Project.

Quality assurance and organizational effectiveness in hospitals.

PubMed Central

Hetherington, R W

1982-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore some aspects of a general theoretical model within which research on the organizational impacts of quality assurance programs in hospitals may be examined. Quality assurance is conceptualized as an organizational control mechanism, operating primarily through increased formalization of structures and specification of procedures. Organizational effectiveness is discussed from the perspective of the problem-solving theory of organizations, wherein effective organizations are those which maintain at least average performance in all four system problem areas simultaneously (goal-attainment, integration, adaptation and pattern-maintenance). It is proposed that through the realization of mutual benefits for both professionals and the bureaucracy, quality assurance programs can maximize such effective performance in hospitals. PMID:7096096

48 CFR 2146.270 - FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Quality Requirements 2146.270 FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements. (a) The... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false FEGLI Program quality...

48 CFR 2146.270 - FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Quality Requirements 2146.270 FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements. (a) The... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false FEGLI Program quality...

48 CFR 2146.270 - FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Quality Requirements 2146.270 FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements. (a) The... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false FEGLI Program quality...

48 CFR 2146.270 - FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Quality Requirements 2146.270 FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements. (a) The... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false FEGLI Program quality...

48 CFR 2146.270 - FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Quality Requirements 2146.270 FEGLI Program quality assurance requirements. (a) The... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true FEGLI Program quality...

Material quality assurance risk assessment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-01-01

Over the past two decades the role of SHA has shifted from quality control (QC) of materials and : placement techniques to quality assurance (QA) and acceptance. The role of the Office of Materials : Technology (OMT) has been shifting towards assuran...

Long life assurance study for manned spacecraft long life hardware. Volume 1: Summary of long life assurance guidelines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A long life assurance program for the development of design, process, test, and application guidelines for achieving reliable spacecraft hardware was conducted. The study approach consisted of a review of technical data performed concurrently with a survey of the aerospace industry. The data reviewed included design and operating characteristics, failure histories and solutions, and similar documents. The topics covered by the guidelines are reported. It is concluded that long life hardware is achieved through meticulous attention to many details and no simple set of rules can suffice.

An institutional review board-based clinical research quality assurance program.

PubMed

Lad, Pramod M; Dahl, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Despite the acknowledged importance of quality assurance in the clinical research process, the problem of how such a program should be implemented at the level of an academic teaching hospital or a similar institution has not been addressed in the literature. Despite the fact that quality assurance is expected in programs which certify and accredit Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), very little is known about the role of the IRB in programs of clinical research quality assurance. In this article we consider the definition of clinical research quality assurance, and describe a program designed to achieve it. The key elements of such a program are education at the site level, which has both mandatory and voluntary components, and an auditing and monitoring program, which reinforces the education on quality assurance. The role of the IRB in achieving the program goals and the organizational placement of the quality assurance program within the IRB structure and function are important items of discussion.

48 CFR 846.408 - Single-agency assignments of Government contract quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... of Government contract quality assurance. 846.408 Section 846.408 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 846.408 Single-agency assignments of Government contract quality assurance. ...

HANDBOOK: QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC) PROCEDURES FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATION

EPA Science Inventory

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations for hazardous waste incineration require trial burns by permit applicants. uality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) must accompany a trial burn plan with appropriate quality assurance/quality control procedures. uidance on the prepa...

48 CFR 2152.246-70 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Quality assurance... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES AND FORMS PRECONTRACT PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 2152.246-70 Quality assurance...

48 CFR 2152.246-70 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Quality assurance... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES AND FORMS PRECONTRACT PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 2152.246-70 Quality assurance...

48 CFR 2152.246-70 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Quality assurance... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES AND FORMS PRECONTRACT PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 2152.246-70 Quality assurance...

48 CFR 2152.246-70 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Quality assurance... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES AND FORMS PRECONTRACT PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 2152.246-70 Quality assurance...

48 CFR 2152.246-70 - Quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Quality assurance... MANAGEMENT, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUP LIFE INSURANCE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES AND FORMS PRECONTRACT PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 2152.246-70 Quality assurance...

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN RESEARCH LABORATORIES: RULES AND REASON

EPA Science Inventory

Quality Assurance in Research Laboratories: Rules and Reason

Ron Rogers, Quality Assurance and Records Manager, Environmental Carcinogenesis Division, NHEERL/ORD/US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709

To anyone who has actively participated in research, as I have...

Managerialism and the Risky Business of Quality Assurance in Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Annemarie

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to identify what is needed to enhance academic quality assurance in a university, with specific efforts to reduce the risks associated with ritualised quality assurance practices. Design/methodology/approach: The aspects to enhance academic quality assurance efforts in managerial universities are identified through a…

[Impact of a quality assurance program on the use of neuromuscular monitoring and reversal of muscle relaxants].

PubMed

Motamed, C; Bourgain, J-L

2009-04-01

As part of a quality assurance in the anaesthesia department, this study was designed to enhance the rate of neuromuscular blockade monitoring for patients receiving muscle relaxant during anaesthesia. After approval of our local ethical committee, we assessed 200 computerized anaesthesia records in which neuromuscular relaxants were used. The following data were collected: demographic characteristics, durations of anaesthesia and surgery, use of neuromuscular monitoring, reversal agents and the quality of neuromuscular monitoring. The results were discussed with all anaesthesia providers of the department and an internal guideline was elaborated with the endpoint that all patients having muscle relaxants should have quantitative neuromuscular monitoring. Six months later, another assessment of 200 consecutive records collected the same data to check the efficiency of the elaborated guideline. The monitoring rate was of 67% at the first assessment and increased to 94% (p<0.05). The reversal rate was at 48% in the first assessment and was stable at the second assessment (50%). The rate of patients not monitored and not reversed decreased from 5 to 2% (p<0.05). This study shows that as part of a quality assurance program systematic quantitative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade can be significantly increased.

Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Review of Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Tricia

2015-01-01

This paper examines the literature surrounding quality assurance in global higher education. It provides an overview of accreditation as a mechanism to ensure quality in higher education, examines models of QA, and explores the concept of quality (including definitions of quality and quality assurance). In addition, this paper provides a review of…

Radiographic Film Processing Quality Assurance: A Self-Teaching Workbook. Quality Assurance Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Lee W.

This workbook has been designed for use in conjunction with the manual, "Photographic Quality Assurance in Diagnostic Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy." Presented are several typical problems arising from the existence of variability and fluctuations in the automatic processing of radiographs, which unless corrected, can…

Assuring Quality in Education Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trochim, William M. K.; Visco, Ronald J.

1986-01-01

A number of quality assurance educational evaluation methods are illustrated. Evaluation data obtained from the Providence, Rhode Island, school district are used. The methods are: (1) from auditing, internal control; (2) from accounting, double bookkeeping; and (3) from industrial quality control, acceptance sampling and cumulative percentage…

Survey of the prevalence and methodology of quality assurance for B-mode ultrasound image quality among veterinary sonographers.

PubMed

Hoscheit, Larry P; Heng, Hock Gan; Lim, Chee Kin; Weng, Hsin-Yi

2018-05-01

Image quality in B-mode ultrasound is important as it reflects the diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic information provided during clinical scanning. Quality assurance programs for B-mode ultrasound systems/components are comprised of initial quality acceptance testing and subsequent regularly scheduled quality control testing. The importance of quality assurance programs for B-mode ultrasound image quality using ultrasound phantoms is well documented in the human medical and medical physics literature. The purpose of this prospective, cross-sectional, survey study was to determine the prevalence and methodology of quality acceptance testing and quality control testing of image quality for ultrasound system/components among veterinary sonographers. An online electronic survey was sent to 1497 members of veterinary imaging organizations: the American College of Veterinary Radiology, the Veterinary Ultrasound Society, and the European Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and a total of 167 responses were received. The results showed that the percentages of veterinary sonographers performing quality acceptance testing and quality control testing are 42% (64/151; 95% confidence interval 34-52%) and 26% (40/156: 95% confidence interval 19-33%) respectively. Of the respondents who claimed to have quality acceptance testing or quality control testing of image quality in place for their ultrasound system/components, 0% have performed quality acceptance testing or quality control testing correctly (quality acceptance testing 95% confidence interval: 0-6%, quality control testing 95% confidence interval: 0-11%). Further education and guidelines are recommended for veterinary sonographers in the area of quality acceptance testing and quality control testing for B-mode ultrasound equipment/components. © 2018 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Quality-assurance and data management plan for groundwater activities by the U.S. Geological Survey in Kansas, 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Putnam, James E.; Hansen, Cristi V.

2014-01-01

As the Nation’s principle earth-science information agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is depended on to collect data of the highest quality. This document is a quality-assurance plan for groundwater activities (GWQAP) of the Kansas Water Science Center. The purpose of this GWQAP is to establish a minimum set of guidelines and practices to be used by the Kansas Water Science Center to ensure quality in groundwater activities. Included within these practices are the assignment of responsibilities for implementing quality-assurance activities in the Kansas Water Science Center and establishment of review procedures needed to ensure the technical quality and reliability of the groundwater products. In addition, this GWQAP is intended to complement quality-assurance plans for surface-water and water-quality activities and similar plans for the Kansas Water Science Center and general project activities throughout the USGS. This document provides the framework for collecting, analyzing, and reporting groundwater data that are quality assured and quality controlled. This GWQAP presents policies directing the collection, processing, analysis, storage, review, and publication of groundwater data. In addition, policies related to organizational responsibilities, training, project planning, and safety are presented. These policies and practices pertain to all groundwater activities conducted by the Kansas Water Science Center, including data-collection programs, interpretive and research projects. This report also includes the data management plan that describes the progression of data management from data collection to archiving and publication.

Technology Transfer Program (TTP). Quality Assurance System. Volume 2. Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-03

LSCo Report No. - 2X23-5.1-4-I TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM (TTP) FINAL REPORT QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM Appendix A Accuracy Control System QUALITY...4-1 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM (TTP) FINAL REPORT QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM Appendix A Accuracy Control System QUALITY ASSURANCE VOLUME 2 APPENDICES...prepared by: Livingston Shipbuilding Company Orange, Texas March 3, 1980 APPENDIX A ACCURACY CONTROL SYSTEM . IIII MARINE TECHNOLOGY. INC. HP-121

In pursuit of quality by viable quality assurance system: the controllers' perceptions.

PubMed

Aziz, Anwar

2011-01-01

Patients, families and communities expect safe, competent and compassionate nursing care that has always been a core value of nursing. To meet these expectations, a valid and reliable quality assurance (QA) system is crucial to ensure that nurse-graduates are competent, confident and fit to practice. The QA approach is seen to be fundamental for quality improvement, it would be appropriate to consider its influence in the nursing education in Pakistan as the current situation is evident of non-existence of such a system to assure its quality. The data is drawn from a qualitative case study conducted in 2004. Among a purposive sample of 71 nurses inclusive of a group of Controllers were interviewed on one-to-one basis. Interviews were audio taped to reduce the risk of any misinterpretation and to facilitate the exact description of data as it was said. The non-directive, semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. Thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts of the interviews was done. The study findings reveal a unanimous desire of the nurses to gauge quality of nurse education through efficient and effective quality assurance system. A crucial need is felt to develop a viable quality assurance system to ensure approved level of quality in nursing education to deliver the right care to the right patient at the right time, every time. The continuous quality assurance and improvement (CQAI) framework based on Deming Quality Cycle (Plan, Do, Check and Act) could facilitate appropriate designing and development of mechanism.

Quality Assurance in Online Content Literacy Methods Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Josephine P.; Lammers, Jayne C.; Alvermann, Donna E.

2012-01-01

As institutions offer more online courses in their teacher certification and literacy master's programs, research is needed to address issues of quality assurance in online instruction. This multicase study analyzes qualitatively elements for addressing quality assurance of the implementation of an online content literacy teacher education course…

LOVE CANAL MONITORING PROGRAM. GCA QA/QC (QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL) SUMMARY REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

One of the most important responsibilities of the Love Canal prime contractor was the institution and maintenance of a quality assurance program. An important objective of the quality assurance program was to alert the subcontractors to the importance of high quality work on thei...

Development of an Instructional Quality Assurance Model in Nursing Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajpru, Haruthai; Pasiphol, Shotiga; Wongwanich, Suwimon

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an instructional quality assurance model in nursing science. The study was divided into 3 phases; (1) to study the information for instructional quality assurance model development (2) to develop an instructional quality assurance model in nursing science and (3) to audit and the assessment of the developed…

[Quality assurance in geriatric rehabilitation--approaches and methods].

PubMed

Deckenbach, B; Borchelt, M; Steinhagen-Thiessen, E

1997-08-01

It did not take the provisions of the 5th Book of the Social Code for quality assurance issues to gain significance in the field of geriatric rehabilitation as well. While in the surgical specialties, experience in particular with external quality assurance have already been gathered over several years now, suitable concepts and methods for the new Geriatric Rehabilitation specialty are still in the initial stages of development. Proven methods from the industrial and service sectors, such as auditing, monitoring and quality circles, can in principle be drawn on for devising geriatric rehabilitation quality assurance schemes; these in particular need to take into account the multiple factors influencing the course and outcome of rehabilitation entailed by multimorbidity and multi-drug use; the eminent role of the social environment; therapeutic interventions by a multidisciplinary team; as well as the multi-dimensional nature of rehabilitation outcomes. Moreover, the specific conditions of geriatric rehabilitation require development not only of quality standards unique to this domain but also of quality assurance procedures specific to geriatrics. Along with a number of other methods, standardized geriatric assessment will play a crucial role in this respect.

Operational excellence (six sigma) philosophy: Application to software quality assurance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lackner, M.

1997-11-01

This report contains viewgraphs on operational excellence philosophy of six sigma applied to software quality assurance. This report outlines the following: goal of six sigma; six sigma tools; manufacturing vs administrative processes; Software quality assurance document inspections; map software quality assurance requirements document; failure mode effects analysis for requirements document; measuring the right response variables; and questions.

Quality Assurance of Assessment and Moderation Discourses Involving Sessional Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grainger, Peter; Adie, Lenore; Weir, Katie

2016-01-01

Quality assurance is a major agenda in tertiary education. The casualisation of academic work, especially in teaching, is also a quality assurance issue. Casual or sessional staff members teach and assess more than 50% of all university courses in Australia, and yet the research in relation to the role sessional staff play in quality assurance of…

[Quality assurance in occupational health services].

PubMed

Michalak, J

1996-01-01

The general conditions influencing the quality assurance and audit in Polish occupational health services are presented. The factors promoting or hampering the implementation of quality assurance and audits are also discussed. The major influence on the transformation of Polish occupational health services in exorted by employers who are committed to cover the costs of the obligatory prophylactic examination of their employees. This is the factor which also contributes to the improvement of quality if services. The definitions of the most important terms are reviewed to highlight their accordance with the needs of occupational health services in Poland. The examples of audit are presented and the elements of selected methods of auditing are suggested to be adopted in Poland.

Understanding Quality Assurance: A Cross Country Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choon Boey Lim, Fion

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of understanding between an Australian university and its offshore partner institution, on quality assurance. It attempts to highlight the dynamics of quality assurance policy implementation within and across institutions for an offshore degree. Design/methodology/approach: The study used…

Policy of Quality Assurance in Hong Kong Preschools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dora, Ho Choi-wa

2007-01-01

This article discusses the sources, processes and impact of the quality assurance policy implemented in Hong Kong preschools. Regarded as a sort of policy alignment between the subsystems of pre-primary, primary and secondary education, the introduction of a quality assurance policy has been directly and indirectly transforming the settlements in…

Application Guidelines for Quality Assurance Procedures for Hybrid Microcircuits.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-01

INSPECTION LIMITS SYMBOL TEST CONDITIONS UNITS SUBGROUP 6 TC = -55 DEGREES C AVI0 1 SAME AS SUBGROUP 5 -0.1 5 Vpp VOS SAME AS SUBGROUP 4 50 m%LC V0 2 ... 1 . Line Certification 2 . Fabrication Techniques and Material Qualification Procedures 3. Design Guidelines e. Application Guidelines. Items a through... 1 2 . GENERAL ................... ......... ................. 3 2.1 Summary of documents generated ........................ 3 2.2 Contract objectives

Quality assurance paradigms for artificial intelligence in modelling and simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oren, T.I.

1987-04-01

New classes of quality assurance concepts and techniques are required for the advanced knowledge-processing paradigms (such as artificial intelligence, expert systems, or knowledge-based systems) and the complex problems that only simulative systems can cope with. A systematization of quality assurance problems as well as examples are given to traditional and cognizant quality assurance techniques in traditional and cognizant modelling and simulation.

The Landscape of Quality Assurance in Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scull, W. Reed; Kendrick, David; Shearer, Rick; Offerman, Dana

2011-01-01

Distance education permeates the field of professional and continuing education to such an extent that quality assurance (QA) is a topic no distance educator or administrator should avoid. Quality assurance is an issue not just for continuing education but also for higher education generally. Given the disruptive impact of distance education and…

Employer-Led Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyszko, Jason A.

2017-01-01

Recent criticism of higher education accreditation has prompted calls for reform and sparked interest in piloting alternative quality assurance methods that better address student learning and employment outcomes. Although this debate has brought much needed attention to improving the outcomes of graduates and safeguarding federal investment in…

Quality assurance program for isotopic power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannigan, R. L.; Harnar, R. R.

1982-12-01

The Sandia National Laboratories Quality Assurance Program that applies to non-weapon (reimbursable) Radioisotopic Thermoelectric Generators is summarized. The program was implemented over the past 16 years on power supplies used in various space and terrestrial systems. The quality assurance (QA) activity of the program is in support of the Department of Energy, Office of Space Nuclear Projects. Basic elements of the program are described and examples of program documentation are presented.

Institutional Response to the Swedish Model of Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Karl-Axel; Wahlen, Staffan

2000-01-01

Evaluates the Swedish model of quality assurance of higher education by examining the response of institutions to 27 quality audits and 19 follow-up interviews. Discusses the relationship between top-down and bottom-up approaches to internal quality assurance and suggests that, with growing professionalization, more limited result-oriented audits…

An introduction to quality assurance.

PubMed

Riggs, D G

1989-10-01

Although initially applied within the manufacturing sectors of industry the benefits of quality assurance to both specifiers and customers alike are rapidly being realised by all sectors of business and industry.

Internal Quality Assurance Benchmarking. ENQA Workshop Report 20

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackstock, Douglas; Burquel, Nadine; Comet, Nuria; Kajaste, Matti; dos Santos, Sergio Machado; Marcos, Sandra; Moser, Marion; Ponds, Henri; Scheuthle, Harald; Sixto, Luis Carlos Velon

2012-01-01

The Internal Quality Assurance group of ENQA (IQA Group) has been organising a yearly seminar for its members since 2007. The main objective is to share experiences concerning the internal quality assurance of work processes in the participating agencies. The overarching theme of the 2011 seminar was how to use benchmarking as a tool for…

23 CFR 637.207 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... program. (a) Each STD's quality assurance program shall provide for an acceptance program and an independent assurance (IA) program consisting of the following: (1) Acceptance program. (i) Each STD's... STD shall establish a dispute resolution system. The dispute resolution system shall address the...

23 CFR 637.207 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... program. (a) Each STD's quality assurance program shall provide for an acceptance program and an independent assurance (IA) program consisting of the following: (1) Acceptance program. (i) Each STD's... STD shall establish a dispute resolution system. The dispute resolution system shall address the...

23 CFR 637.207 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... program. (a) Each STD's quality assurance program shall provide for an acceptance program and an independent assurance (IA) program consisting of the following: (1) Acceptance program. (i) Each STD's... STD shall establish a dispute resolution system. The dispute resolution system shall address the...

40 CFR 160.35 - Quality assurance unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... standard operating procedures were made without proper authorization and documentation. (6) Review the final study report to assure that such report accurately describes the methods and standard operating... LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Organization and Personnel § 160.35 Quality assurance unit. (a) A testing...

40 CFR 160.35 - Quality assurance unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... standard operating procedures were made without proper authorization and documentation. (6) Review the final study report to assure that such report accurately describes the methods and standard operating... LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Organization and Personnel § 160.35 Quality assurance unit. (a) A testing...

40 CFR 160.35 - Quality assurance unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... standard operating procedures were made without proper authorization and documentation. (6) Review the final study report to assure that such report accurately describes the methods and standard operating... LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Organization and Personnel § 160.35 Quality assurance unit. (a) A testing...

40 CFR 160.35 - Quality assurance unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... standard operating procedures were made without proper authorization and documentation. (6) Review the final study report to assure that such report accurately describes the methods and standard operating... LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Organization and Personnel § 160.35 Quality assurance unit. (a) A testing...

40 CFR 160.35 - Quality assurance unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... standard operating procedures were made without proper authorization and documentation. (6) Review the final study report to assure that such report accurately describes the methods and standard operating... LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Organization and Personnel § 160.35 Quality assurance unit. (a) A testing...

Developing policy, standard orders, and quality-assurance monitoring for palliative sedation therapy.

PubMed

Ghafoor, Virginia L; Silus, Lauren S

2011-03-15

The development of a policy, evidence-based standard orders, and monitoring for palliative sedation therapy (PST) is described. Concerns regarding PST at the University of Minnesota Medical Center (UMMC) arose and needed to be addressed in a formal process. A multidisciplinary group consisting of palliative care physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical pharmacy specialists reached consensus on the practice model and medications to be used for PST. Major elements of the plan included the development and implementation of an institutional policy for palliative sedation; standard orders for patient care, sedation, and monitoring; education for staff, patients, and patients' family members; and quality-assurance monitoring. A literature review was performed to identify research and guidelines defining the practice of PST. Policy content includes the use of a standard order set linking patient care, medication administration, the monitoring of sedation, and symptom management. Approval of the policy involved several UMMC committees. An evaluation matrix was used to determine critical areas for PST monitoring and to guide development of a form to monitor quality. A retrospective chart audit using the quality-assurance monitoring form assessed baseline sedation medication and patient outcomes. Assessment of compliance began in the fall of 2008, after the policy and standard orders were approved by the UMMC medical executive committee. In 2008, two cases of PST were monitored using the standardized form. PST cases will be continually monitored and analyzed. Development of policy, standard orders, and quality-assurance monitoring for PST required a formal multidisciplinary process. A process-improvement process is critical to defining institutional policy, educational goals, and outcome metrics for PST.

Quality assurance programs for pressure ulcers.

PubMed

Xakellis, G C

1997-08-01

Traditional medical quality assurance programs are beginning to incorporate the principles of continuous quality improvement pioneered by Juran and Deming. Strategies for incorporating these principles into a long-term care facility are described, and two examples of successful implementation of continuous quality improvement programs for pressure ulcers are presented.

Quality Assurance Planning for Region 9

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The ultimate success of an environmental program or project depends on the quality of the environmental data collected and used in decision-making. EPA has developed guidances to help state and tribal governments develop Quality Assurance Program Plans.

References on EPA Quality Assurance Project Plans

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Provides requirements for the conduct of quality management practices, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) activities, for all environmental data collection and environmental technology programs performed by or for this Agency.

Illinois' Forests, 2005: Statistics, Methods, and Quality Assurance

Treesearch

Susan J. Crocker; Charles J. Barnett; Mark A. Hatfield

2013-01-01

The first full annual inventory of Illinois' forests was completed in 2005. This report contains 1) descriptive information on methods, statistics, and quality assurance of data collection, 2) a glossary of terms, 3) tables that summarize quality assurance, and 4) a core set of tabular estimates for a variety of forest resources. A detailed analysis of inventory...

[Quality assurance of rehabilitation by the German pension insurance: an overview].

PubMed

Klosterhuis, H; Baumgarten, E; Beckmann, U; Erbstösser, S; Lindow, B; Naumann, B; Widera, T; Zander, J

2010-12-01

The German pension insurance has in recent years developed a comprehensive programme for quality assurance in rehabilitation, and has implemented the programme into routine practice. Different aspects of rehabilitation are evaluated with differentiated instruments. Issues dealt with inter alia include the quality of rehabilitative care in a narrower sense, the structure and organisation of the rehabilitation centres, as well as quality from the patients' perspective. On the whole, positive results predominate. Big differences in quality however have been found between the rehabilitation centres. The data collections and data evaluations carried out make a continuous process of quality assurance reporting possible for use by rehabilitation centres and pension insurance agencies. This will enable targeted initiatives for quality improvement. The methods and procedures of quality assurance are enhanced at regular intervals, and the scope of quality assurance is extended. Thus, rehab quality assurance is also expanded to cover ambulant rehabilitation or rehabilitation of children and young people. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

[Quality assurance in dentistry--past, present and future].

PubMed

Vered, Y; Schwartz, N; Babayoff, I

2003-01-01

Quality assurance involves the cycle of quality assessment, formal identification of problems, developing a strategy for resolving problems and implementation of changes. Historically, the term "first do not harm" can be considered as the first step in quality assurance. Patients' high expectations from the outcomes of dental treatment, new technology and cost containment changed the perspectives completely. We are facing a new era of an increasing demand for patients' involvement as well as an increasing demand for accountability of the members of the profession. The article describes the development of the issue of quality assurance during the last thirty years and highlights the difficulties encountered by the profession in adjusting the changes due to lack of education, experience, knowledge and absence of a definition for accepted criteria for action. Developing criteria for appropriateness of dental treatment, developing mechanisms for assessing the art of care, development of large data bases and development of consumers' surveys are some of the leading suggestions for future action. The responsibility for quality and quality assurance lies in the hands of the dental profession. Organized dentistry possesses a social and ethical commitment for the society, as well as professional obligation for the members of the profession. Although cost containment gave rise to the issue of quality, quality assurance should not be measured in financial terms, but in terms of accepting responsibility and working for continuous improvement. Steps in the right direction will, hopefully, lead to a better and more efficient utilization of the available resources and will increase the trust of the public in the profession of dentistry. Therefore, organized dentistry should not leave this important issue to be dealt by non-dental professions or commercial organizations.

Italian quality assurance in mental health.

PubMed

Rossi, Giovanni; Agnetti, Germana; Bosio, Roberto; De Luca, Pasquale; Erlicher, Arcadio; Morganti, Carla; Neri, Giovanni; Re, Edoardo; Semisa, Domenico; Fioritti, Angelo

2014-06-01

Since the radical changes in Italian mental health law in the 1970s, quality assurance models have gained consensus as the most suitable service assessment tool. In the 1990s, the whole Italian National Health System changed into a corporate model, and an accreditation system was implemented.The Italian Association for Quality and Accreditation in Mental Health (Associazione Italiana per la Qualità e l'Accreditamento in Salute Mentale [QUASM]) was founded in 1984, and since then, it offers consultation and support for Mental Health Departments and Regional Governments to help them to develop psychiatric programs, self-evaluation, educational programs, and professional peer-model accreditation. The QUASM accreditation manual has now gone through several revisions, the last in 2008. Until 2008, QUASM was successful in promoting quality and facilitating both institutional and professional accreditation. However, radical changes triggered by financial crisis have jeopardized quality assurance implementation. Nowadays, the challenge for QUASM is to maintain quality and accreditation geared to excellence against prevailing leveling trends.

An In-Depth Study on the Impact of External Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stensaker, Bjorn; Langfeldt, Liv; Harvey, Lee; Huisman, Jeroen; Westerheijden, Don

2011-01-01

After more than two decades of external quality assurance, there is an increasing interest in questions concerning the impact and effects of this activity. Following an external evaluation of NOKUT--the Norwegian quality assurance agency, this article studies the impact of external quality assurance in detail by analysing quantitative and…

Quality Assurance in a School of Dentistry: Getting Started.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guba, Christianne J.

1990-01-01

Steps in establishment of Indiana University School of Dentistry's quality assurance program included gathering existing information on quality assurance; ascertaining administrative support; appointing a committee; defining terms and setting goals; raising awareness and commitment; designing a patient satisfaction survey; undertaking a chart…

48 CFR 46.403 - Government contract quality assurance at destination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 46.403... overseas shipment will normally be inspected for condition and quantity at points of embarkation; (4) Brand...

The NOνA Module Factory Quality Assurance System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Alex; the NOνA Collaboration

The NOνA experiment will measure neutrino oscillations using a long-baseline beam, a ∼220-ton near detector and a ∼14-kiloton far detector. Production of ∼12500 modules to build these detectors is an industrial scale operation requiring careful quality assurance to meet the stringent technical specifications. Unlike a typical industrial operation, this project will use primarily a part time labor force of ∼200 University of Minnesota undergraduate students managed by a small team of full time employees. The quality assurance system is involved in nearly every aspect of the production: assembly, scheduling, training, payroll, materials, machine maintenance, test data, and safety compliance. The quality assurance data collected during the assembly process allows us to quickly identify and correct any problems that arise.

Trading Quality across Borders: Colonial Discourse and International Quality Assurance Policies in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanco Ramírez, Gerardo

2014-01-01

Accountability and quality assurance have become central discourses in higher education policy throughout the world. However, accountability and quality assurance involve power and control. Practices and ideas about quality developed in the Global North are spreading rapidly across the Global South, leading to increased uniformity in the…

Quality Assurance Program Description

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halford, Vaughn Edward; Ryder, Ann Marie

Effective May 1, 2017, led by a new executive leadership team, Sandia began operating within a new organizational structure. National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (Sandia’s) Quality Assurance Program (QAP) was established to assign responsibilities and authorities, define workflow policies and requirements, and provide for the performance and assessment of work.

Guideline for dialysate quality of Spanish Society of Nephrology (second edition, 2015).

PubMed

Pérez-García, Rafael; García Maset, Rafael; Gonzalez Parra, Emilio; Solozábal Campos, Carlos; Ramírez Chamond, Rafael; Martín-Rabadán, Pablo; Sobrino Pérez, Pedro Enrique; Gallego Pereira, Ovidio; Dominguez, Jon; de la Cueva Matute, Enrique; Ferllen, Ricardo

2016-01-01

A Best Practice Guideline about Dialysis fluid purity was developed under the leadership of the Spanish Society of Nephrology in 2004. The second edition revised Guideline considered new evidences and International Standard. The Guideline has established recommendations for standards for preparing dialysate: water, concentrates and hemodialysis proportioning systems. This Guideline is based on the ISO13959, European Pharmacopoeia, the Real Farmacopea Española, the AAMI Standards and Recommended Practices, European Best Practice Guidelines for Haemodialysis, literature reviews, according to their level of evidence, and the opinion of the expert Spanish group. Two levels of quality of water were defined: purified water and high purified water (ultra pure) and for dialysate: ultra pure dialysate. Regular use of ultra pure dialysate is recommended for all type of hemodialysis to prevent and delay the occurrence of complications: inflammation, malnutrition, anaemia and amiloidosis. Water, concentrates and dialysate quality requirements are defined as maximum allowable contaminant levels: chemicals (4.1.2), conductivity, microbial and endotoxins (4.1.1): Monitoring frequency, maintenance and corrective actions were specified. Methods of sampling and analysis were described in appendix (anexos). For microbiological monitoring, R2A medium is recommended, incubated during 7-14 days at a temperature of 17-23°C. The dialysate quality assurance process involves all dialysis staff members and requires strict protocols. The physician in charge of hemodialysis has the ultimate responsibility for dialysate quality. All suggestions and questions about this Guideline are wellcome to www.senefro.org. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Systems Perspectives on External Quality Assurance: Implications for Micro-States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houston, Don; Maniku, Ahmed Ali

2005-01-01

Quality assurance in higher education is a mess: the "problem" of quality is embedded in complex sets of interacting issues that are of concern to many and varied stakeholders. Developing higher education systems that have responded to issues of quality through a "best practice" model of external quality assurance has produced…

[Quality assurance in oncology: experiences of an ISO certification].

PubMed

Szentirmay, Zoltán; Cseh, Lujza; Ottó, Szabolcs; Kásler, Miklós

2002-01-01

The ISO 9001 quality assurance of the National Institute of Oncology has been achieved successfully. We give an account of the brief history and the structure of the assurance system of the Institute, the process of setting our goals, and also the experience gained from drafting ISO 9001 handbook and flowcharts. Apart from the bureaucratic nature of quality assurance, it is a good opportunity for us to investigate our everyday work, put it into orderly manner and work more reliably. Experience has shown that the introduction of a quality assurance system increases the level of patient care, the documentation helps the Institute or some of its departments, or even individuals prevent law suits, and serves as a sound basis for proposing promotion, salary increases and bonuses, or even honors.

48 CFR 246.408 - Single-agency assignments of Government contract quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... of Government contract quality assurance. 246.408 Section 246.408 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 246.408 Single-agency assignments of Government contract...

Quality Assurance in the Presence of Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauenroth, Kim; Metzger, Andreas; Pohl, Klaus

Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is a reuse-driven development paradigm that has been applied successfully in information system engineering and other domains. Quality assurance of the reusable artifacts of the product line (e.g. requirements, design, and code artifacts) is essential for successful product line engineering. As those artifacts are reused in several products, a defect in a reusable artifact can affect several products of the product line. A central challenge for quality assurance in product line engineering is how to consider product line variability. Since the reusable artifacts contain variability, quality assurance techniques from single-system engineering cannot directly be applied to those artifacts. Therefore, different strategies and techniques have been developed for quality assurance in the presence of variability. In this chapter, we describe those strategies and discuss in more detail one of those strategies, the so called comprehensive strategy. The comprehensive strategy aims at checking the quality of all possible products of the product line and thus offers the highest benefits, since it is able to uncover defects in all possible products of the product line. However, the central challenge for applying the comprehensive strategy is the complexity that results from the product line variability and the large number of potential products of a product line. In this chapter, we present one concrete technique that we have developed to implement the comprehensive strategy that addresses this challenge. The technique is based on model checking technology and allows for a comprehensive verification of domain artifacts against temporal logic properties.

Monitoring and Assuring the Quality of Digital Aerial Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christopherson, Jon

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation explains the USGS plan for monitoring and assuring the quality of digital aerial data. The contents include: 1) History of USGS Aerial Imaging Involvement; 2) USGS Research and Results; 3) Outline of USGS Quality Assurance Plan; 4) Other areas of Interest; and 5) Summary

Ensuring Quality Assurance in Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idialu, Ethel E.

2013-01-01

Vocational education emphasises skill acquisition. Quality assurance in vocational education is a concept that is concerned with high performance involving activities with vocational education such as teaching, learning, infrastructures, students' behaviour and the entire academic process. Quality vocational education refers to input and output of…

Quality Assurance for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Peter P. T.; Tsui, Cecilia B. S.

2010-01-01

For higher education reform, most decision-makers aspire to achieving a higher participation rate and a respectable degree of excellence with diversity at the same time. But very few know exactly how. External quality assurance is a fair basis for differentiation but there can be doubt and resistance in some quarters. Stakeholder interests differ…

Software quality assurance | News

Science.gov Websites

Measure was removed: "Sufficient level of detail in the requirements to develop test cases." ; This control measure was removed since the sufficient level of detail needed to develop test cases is recorded for all test cases. (Note: This is mandatory for applications graded with a High Quality Assurance

Quality-assurance plan for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kozar, Mark D.; Kahle, Sue C.

2013-01-01

This report documents the standard procedures, policies, and field methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Washington Water Science Center staff for activities related to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, and publication of groundwater data. This groundwater quality-assurance plan changes through time to accommodate new methods and requirements developed by the Washington Water Science Center and the USGS Office of Groundwater. The plan is based largely on requirements and guidelines provided by the USGS Office of Groundwater, or the USGS Water Mission Area. Regular updates to this plan represent an integral part of the quality-assurance process. Because numerous policy memoranda have been issued by the Office of Groundwater since the previous groundwater quality assurance plan was written, this report is a substantial revision of the previous report, supplants it, and contains significant additional policies not covered in the previous report. This updated plan includes information related to the organization and responsibilities of USGS Washington Water Science Center staff, training, safety, project proposal development, project review procedures, data collection activities, data processing activities, report review procedures, and archiving of field data and interpretative information pertaining to groundwater flow models, borehole aquifer tests, and aquifer tests. Important updates from the previous groundwater quality assurance plan include: (1) procedures for documenting and archiving of groundwater flow models; (2) revisions to procedures and policies for the creation of sites in the Groundwater Site Inventory database; (3) adoption of new water-level forms to be used within the USGS Washington Water Science Center; (4) procedures for future creation of borehole geophysics, surface geophysics, and aquifer-test archives; and (5) use of the USGS Multi Optional Network Key Entry System software for entry of routine water-level data

Management of government quality assurance functions for NASA contracts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This handbook sets forth requirements for NASA direction and management of government quality assurance functions performed for NASA contracts and is applicable to all NASA installations. These requirements will standardize management to provide the minimum oversight and effective use of resources. This handbook implements Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 46, NASA FAR Supplement 18-46, Quality Assurance, and NMI 7410.1. Achievement of established quality and reliability goals at all levels is essential to the success of NASA programs. Active participation by NASA and other agency quality assurance personnel in all phases of contract operations, including precontract activity, will assist in the economic and timely achievement of program results. This involves broad participation in design, development, procurement, inspection, testing, and preventive and corrective actions. Consequently, government, as well as industry, must place strong emphasis on the accomplishment of all functions having a significant bearing on quality and reliability from program initiation through end-use of supplies and services produced. For purposes of implementing NASA and other agency agreements, and to provide for uniformity and consistency, the terminology and definitions prescribed herein and in a future handbook shall be utilized for all NASA quality assurance delegations and subsequent redelegations.

Management of government quality assurance functions for NASA contracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1993-04-01

This handbook sets forth requirements for NASA direction and management of government quality assurance functions performed for NASA contracts and is applicable to all NASA installations. These requirements will standardize management to provide the minimum oversight and effective use of resources. This handbook implements Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 46, NASA FAR Supplement 18-46, Quality Assurance, and NMI 7410.1. Achievement of established quality and reliability goals at all levels is essential to the success of NASA programs. Active participation by NASA and other agency quality assurance personnel in all phases of contract operations, including precontract activity, will assist in the economic and timely achievement of program results. This involves broad participation in design, development, procurement, inspection, testing, and preventive and corrective actions. Consequently, government, as well as industry, must place strong emphasis on the accomplishment of all functions having a significant bearing on quality and reliability from program initiation through end-use of supplies and services produced. For purposes of implementing NASA and other agency agreements, and to provide for uniformity and consistency, the terminology and definitions prescribed herein and in a future handbook shall be utilized for all NASA quality assurance delegations and subsequent redelegations.

10 CFR 26.137 - Quality assurance and quality control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... validation of analytical procedures. Quality assurance procedures must be designed, implemented, and reviewed... resolving any technical, methodological, or administrative errors in the licensee testing facility's testing...

10 CFR 26.137 - Quality assurance and quality control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... validation of analytical procedures. Quality assurance procedures must be designed, implemented, and reviewed... resolving any technical, methodological, or administrative errors in the licensee testing facility's testing...

10 CFR 26.137 - Quality assurance and quality control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... validation of analytical procedures. Quality assurance procedures must be designed, implemented, and reviewed... resolving any technical, methodological, or administrative errors in the licensee testing facility's testing...

10 CFR 26.137 - Quality assurance and quality control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... validation of analytical procedures. Quality assurance procedures must be designed, implemented, and reviewed... resolving any technical, methodological, or administrative errors in the licensee testing facility's testing...

10 CFR 26.137 - Quality assurance and quality control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... validation of analytical procedures. Quality assurance procedures must be designed, implemented, and reviewed... resolving any technical, methodological, or administrative errors in the licensee testing facility's testing...

BUILDING "BRIDGES" WITH QUALITY ASSURANCE

EPA Science Inventory

The papr describes how, rather than building "bridges" across centuries, quality assurance (QA) personnel have the opportunity to build bridges across technical disciplines, between public and private organizations, and between different QA groups. As reviewers and auditors of a...

[Cross-sectoral quality assurance in ambulatory care].

PubMed

Albrecht, Martin; Loos, Stefan; Otten, Marcus

2013-01-01

Overcoming rigid sectoral segmentation in healthcare has also become a health policy target in quality assurance. With the Act to Enhance Competition in Statutory Health Insurance (GKV-WSG) coming into effect, quality assurance measures are to be designed in a cross-sectoral fashion for in- and outpatient sectors equally. An independent institution is currently mandated to develop specific quality indicators for eleven indications. For three of these operating tests have already been commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee. This article depicts the major results of a feasibility study, including a compliance cost estimate, for the aforementioned indications of cross-sectoral quality assurance (cQA). In conclusion, a number of both practical and conceptual basic challenges are still to be resolved prior to the full implementation of cQA, such as a sufficient specification to activate documentation requirements and an inspection system capable of separating actual quality problems from documentary deficits. So far, a comprehensive cost-utility analysis of cQA has not been provided, in particular with comparison to existing QA systems. In order to optimise cost and utility of cQA an evidence-based approach is required for both the extension of cQA areas and for QA provisions. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Engineering Education in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aqlan, Faisal; Al-Araidah, Omar; Al-Hawari, Tarek

2010-01-01

This paper provides a study of the quality assurance and accreditation in the Jordanian higher education sector and focuses mainly on engineering education. It presents engineering education, accreditation and quality assurance in Jordan and considers the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for a case study. The study highlights the…

A Rotational Blended Learning Model: Enhancement and Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghoul, Said

2013-01-01

Research on blended learning theory and practice is growing nowadays with a focus on the development, evaluation, and quality assurance of case studies. However, the enhancement of blended learning existing models, the specification of their online parts, and the quality assurance related specifically to them have not received enough attention.…

On the Role of Impact Evaluation of Quality Assurance from the Strategic Perspective of Quality Assurance Agencies in the European Higher Education Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damian, Radu; Grifoll, Josep; Rigbers, Anke

2015-01-01

In this paper the current national legislations, the quality assurance approaches and the activities of impact analysis of three quality assurance agencies from Romania, Spain and Germany are described from a strategic perspective. The analysis shows that the general methodologies (comprising, for example, self-evaluation reports, peer reviews,…

DOE-OES-EML quality assurance program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanderson, C.G.

1980-01-01

Contractor laboratories handling radioactive materials for the US Department of Energy (DOE) are required to monitor the environmental exposure and publish annual reports for the Division of Operational and Environmental Safety (OES). In order to determine the validity of the data contained in these reports the Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) was requested to develop, coordinate, and conduct an Environmental Quality Assurance Program (QAP). There are four major phases to the DOE-OES-EML Quality Assurance Program: sample collection and preparation, sample analyses at EML, quarterly sample distribution, and reporting the data returned by the participants. The various phases of the QAP andmore » the data reported during the first year of the program are discussed.« less

Designing and implementing a trust-wide quality assurance programme.

PubMed

Coope, Sally-Ann

2018-04-02

Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS) NHS Foundation Trust provides a wide range of community-based health services. After the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found gaps in the trust's assurance process, its board decided to develop a method of continuous quality improvements that could be used as a basis for the trust's quality assurance system. The trust adapted and built on an acute model so it was suitable for community services. The final assurance system, Quality Always, has four elements: the clinical assessment and accreditation scheme; leadership development; 'champions' within clinical teams to support and promote the scheme; and dashboards to record and monitor progress. A system to recognise and reward achievement was essential for success. Quality Always has resulted in better care quality, an improved CQC rating, a sense of achievement among staff, the development of support networks, learning (especially among support staff) and good practice being shared.

Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education: Contested Territories?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filippakou, Ourania; Tapper, Ted

2008-01-01

This paper analyses the unfolding of the quality agenda in England from 1992 to the present. By using two disciplinary approaches, "political science" and "social philosophy", the article traces the recent transition from quality assurance to quality enhancement. How is this development to be explained and how significant is…

Quality assurance and accreditation of engineering education in Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aqlan, Faisal; Al-Araidah, Omar; Al-Hawari, Tarek

2010-06-01

This paper provides a study of the quality assurance and accreditation in the Jordanian higher education sector and focuses mainly on engineering education. It presents engineering education, accreditation and quality assurance in Jordan and considers the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for a case study. The study highlights the efforts undertaken by the faculty of engineering at JUST concerning quality assurance and accreditation. Three engineering departments were accorded substantial equivalency status by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology in 2009. Various measures of quality improvement, including curricula development, laboratories improvement, computer facilities, e-learning, and other supporting services are also discussed. Further assessment of the current situation is made through two surveys, targeting engineering instructors and students. Finally, the paper draws conclusions and proposes recommendations to enhance the quality of engineering education at JUST and other Jordanian educational institutions.

Read Code quality assurance: from simple syntax to semantic stability.

PubMed

Schulz, E B; Barrett, J W; Price, C

1998-01-01

As controlled clinical vocabularies assume an increasing role in modern clinical information systems, so the issue of their quality demands greater attention. In order to meet the resulting stringent criteria for completeness and correctness, a quality assurance system comprising a database of more than 500 rules is being developed and applied to the Read Thesaurus. The authors discuss the requirement to apply quality assurance processes to their dynamic editing database in order to ensure the quality of exported products. Sources of errors include human, hardware, and software factors as well as new rules and transactions. The overall quality strategy includes prevention, detection, and correction of errors. The quality assurance process encompasses simple data specification, internal consistency, inspection procedures and, eventually, field testing. The quality assurance system is driven by a small number of tables and UNIX scripts, with "business rules" declared explicitly as Structured Query Language (SQL) statements. Concurrent authorship, client-server technology, and an initial failure to implement robust transaction control have all provided valuable lessons. The feedback loop for error management needs to be short.

European Psychiatric Association (EPA) guidance on quality assurance in mental healthcare.

PubMed

Gaebel, W; Großimlinghaus, I; Heun, R; Janssen, B; Johnson, B; Kurimay, T; Montellano, P; Muijen, M; Munk-Jorgensen, P; Rössler, W; Ruggeri, M; Thornicroft, G; Zielasek, J

2015-03-01

To advance the quality of mental healthcare in Europe by developing guidance on implementing quality assurance. We performed a systematic literature search on quality assurance in mental healthcare and the 522 retrieved documents were evaluated by two independent reviewers (B.J. and J.Z.). Based on these evaluations, evidence tables were generated. As it was found that these did not cover all areas of mental healthcare, supplementary hand searches were performed for selected additional areas. Based on these findings, fifteen graded recommendations were developed and consented by the authors. Review by the EPA Guidance Committee and EPA Board led to two additional recommendations (on immigrant mental healthcare and parity of mental and physical healthcare funding). Although quality assurance (measures to keep a certain degree of quality), quality control and monitoring (applying quality indicators to the current degree of quality), and quality management (coordinated measures and activities with regard to quality) are conceptually distinct, in practice they are frequently used as if identical and hardly separable. There is a dearth of controlled trials addressing ways to optimize quality assurance in mental healthcare. Altogether, seventeen recommendations were developed addressing a range of aspects of quality assurance in mental healthcare, which appear usable across Europe. These were divided into recommendations about structures, processes and outcomes. Each recommendation was assigned to a hierarchical level of analysis (macro-, meso- and micro-level). There was a lack of evidence retrievable by a systematic literature search about quality assurance of mental healthcare. Therefore, only after further topics and search had been added it was possible to develop recommendations with mostly medium evidence levels. Evidence-based graded recommendations for quality assurance in mental healthcare were developed which should next be implemented and evaluated for

77 FR 67366 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; Quality Assurance Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-09

..., acceptance, warranty, and other measures associated with quality requirements. Standard clauses related to...; Information Collection; Quality Assurance Requirements AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services... requirement concerning quality assurance requirements. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether...

Quality assurance in non-interventional studies.

PubMed

Theobald, Karlheinz; Capan, Müge; Herbold, Marlis; Schinzel, Stefan; Hundt, Ferdinand

2009-11-09

Nowadays, drug research and surveillance after authorisation becomes more and more important for several reasons. Non-interventional studies (NIS) investigate various aspects of drug use including efficacy and safety under real life conditions. Such kind of health services research should be on a high scientific, methodological and organisational level. Therefore accompanying measures to improve or to keep the quality are highly recommended. The aim of quality management is: first to avoid bias of results by using an appropriate study design and an adequate data analysis, second to assure authenticity, completeness and validity of the data and third to identify and resolve deficiencies at an early stage. Basic principles are laid down in corresponding guidelines and recommendations of authorities, institutes and societies. Various guidelines for good epidemiological practice (GEP) were published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international and regional societies for epidemiology. In addition in Germany the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) together with the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) and the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA) have published respectively recommendations dealing with quality aspects of non-interventional observational studies. Key points are the advanced publishing of information about the project, developing of a study plan/protocol containing the scientific objectives, a sample size justification and a description of the planned analyses and the publishing of a summary of the results timely after completion of the study. The quality of the data can be improved by using standardized case report forms (CRF) and the CRF should be reviewed and tested before start of study by some participants. A source data verification (SDV) should be performed in randomly selected centres - in between 2% and 5% of the centres depending on the number of participating centres. Before start of

Quality assurance in non-interventional studies

PubMed Central

Theobald, Karlheinz; Capan, Müge; Herbold, Marlis; Schinzel, Stefan; Hundt, Ferdinand

2009-01-01

Nowadays, drug research and surveillance after authorisation becomes more and more important for several reasons. Non-interventional studies (NIS) investigate various aspects of drug use including efficacy and safety under real life conditions. Such kind of health services research should be on a high scientific, methodological and organisational level. Therefore accompanying measures to improve or to keep the quality are highly recommended. The aim of quality management is: first to avoid bias of results by using an appropriate study design and an adequate data analysis, second to assure authenticity, completeness and validity of the data and third to identify and resolve deficiencies at an early stage. Basic principles are laid down in corresponding guidelines and recommendations of authorities, institutes and societies. Various guidelines for good epidemiological practice (GEP) were published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international and regional societies for epidemiology. In addition in Germany the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) together with the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) and the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA) have published respectively recommendations dealing with quality aspects of non-interventional observational studies. Key points are the advanced publishing of information about the project, developing of a study plan/protocol containing the scientific objectives, a sample size justification and a description of the planned analyses and the publishing of a summary of the results timely after completion of the study. The quality of the data can be improved by using standardized case report forms (CRF) and the CRF should be reviewed and tested before start of study by some participants. A source data verification (SDV) should be performed in randomly selected centres – in between 2% and 5% of the centres depending on the number of participating centres. Before start

Assuring Quality in Collaborative Provision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bocock, Jean; Edwards, Judith

1998-01-01

This bulletin is intended to help British further education colleges clarify their rationale for entering into collaborative programs, assess prospective partners, define and implement good practice at all stages of provision, and establish rigorous quality assurance procedures. Following an introduction, Further Education Funding Council…

Quality Assurance in School Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newell, Susan; Schoenike, Sumner L.; Lisko, Elaine A.

2003-01-01

School nurses need to become more influential administrators, managers, and entrepreneurs. They must learn to lead and collaborate effectively in designing, implementing, and evaluating coordinated school health programs. Quality assurance is an essential ingredient in this process that requires accurate, timely, and confidential incident…

48 CFR 46.402 - Government contract quality assurance at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... replacement of costly special packing and packaging; (e) Government inspection during contract performance is... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Government contract... ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 46.402...

48 CFR 46.402 - Government contract quality assurance at source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... replacement of costly special packing and packaging; (e) Government inspection during contract performance is... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Government contract... ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Government Contract Quality Assurance 46.402...

Quality Assurance of E-learning. ENQA Workshop Report 14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grifoll, Josep; Huertas, Esther; Prades, Anna; Rodriguez, Sebastian; Rubin, Yuri; Mulder, Fred; Ossiannilsson, Ebba

2010-01-01

E-learning in the European Higher Education Area has stampeded its way to the foreground of the Quality Assurance (QA) forum, and has become a key issue among quality assurance agencies and institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Because internet-based learning is currently such a relevant topic, there is a dire need for the…

Quality Assurance in Distance Learning Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripathi, Manorama; Jeevan, V. K. J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The paper aims to study how the present distance learning libraries can improve upon their existing services and introduce new ones to enhance quality of services to distance learners. Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a review of literature on quality assurance in open and distance education in general and student support…

The 2010 Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heart failure update: Heart failure in ethnic minority populations, heart failure and pregnancy, disease management, and quality improvement/assurance programs

PubMed Central

Howlett, Jonathan G; McKelvie, Robert S; Costigan, Jeannine; Ducharme, Anique; Estrella-Holder, Estrellita; Ezekowitz, Justin A; Giannetti, Nadia; Haddad, Haissam; Heckman, George A; Herd, Anthony M; Isaac, Debra; Kouz, Simon; Leblanc, Kori; Liu, Peter; Mann, Elizabeth; Moe, Gordon W; O’Meara, Eileen; Rajda, Miroslav; Siu, Samuel; Stolee, Paul; Swiggum, Elizabeth; Zeiroth, Shelley

2010-01-01

Since 2006, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society heart failure (HF) guidelines have published annual focused updates for cardiovascular care providers. The 2010 Canadian Cardiovascular Society HF guidelines update focuses on an increasing issue in the western world – HF in ethnic minorities – and in an uncommon but important setting – the pregnant patient. Additionally, due to increasing attention recently given to the assessment of how care is delivered and measured, two critically important topics – disease management programs in HF and quality assurance – have been included. Both of these topics were written from a clinical perspective. It is hoped that the present update will become a useful tool for health care providers and planners in the ongoing evolution of care for HF patients in Canada. PMID:20386768

University Administrators' Conceptions of Quality and Approaches to Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goff, Lori

2017-01-01

As the quality of university education garners increasingly more interest in both the public and in the literature, and as quality assurance (QA) processes are developed and implemented within universities around the world, it is important to carefully consider what is meant by the term quality. This study attempts to add to the literature…

Education for All in South Africa: Developing a National System for Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, William J.; Ngoma-Maema, Wendy Yolisa

2003-01-01

Draws on international research, policy, and practice relevant to quality assurance systems to analyze the development of a national framework for educational quality assurance in South Africa. Describes an emerging framework for quality assurance that encompasses evaluation of student achievement, quality audits and reviews, program and service…

The New English Quality Assurance Regime

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Roger

2011-01-01

England is developing a new quality assurance regime that will come into effect in October 2011. A new funding regime will operate from the following year, together with new rules to ease the participation of private higher education providers. This article describes and analyses the new quality and funding regimes. It argues that the greater…

Quality Assurance in University Guidance Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Alexandra

2014-01-01

In Europe there is no common quality assurance framework for the delivery of guidance in higher education. Using a case study approach in four university career guidance services in England, France and Spain, this article aims to study how quality is implemented in university career guidance services in terms of strategy, standards and models,…

40 CFR Appendix C to Part 61 - Quality Assurance Procedures

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality Assurance Procedures C Appendix C to Part 61 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS...—Quality Assurance Procedures Procedure 1—Determination of Adequate Chromatographic Peak Resolution In this...

Core components of a comprehensive quality assurance program in anatomic pathology.

PubMed

Nakhleh, Raouf E

2009-11-01

In this article the core components of a comprehensive quality assurance and improvement plan are outlined. Quality anatomic pathology work comes with focus on accurate, timely, and complete reports. A commitment to continuous quality improvement and a systems approach with a persistent effort helps to achieve this end. Departments should have a quality assurance and improvement plan that includes a risk assessment of real and potential problems facing the laboratory. The plan should also list the individuals responsible for carrying out the program with adequate resources, a defined timetable, and annual assessment for progress and future directions. Quality assurance monitors should address regulatory requirements and be organized by laboratory division (surgical pathology, cytology, etc) as well as 5 segments (preanalytic, analytic, postanalytic phases of the test cycle, turn-around-time, and customer satisfaction). Quality assurance data can also be used to evaluate individual pathologists using multiple parameters with peer group comparison.

Data Validation & Laboratory Quality Assurance for Region 9

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In all hazardous site investigations it is essential to know the quality of the data used for decision-making purposes. Validation of data requires that appropriate quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures be followed.

Nuclear Technology. Course 31: Quality Assurance Practices. Module 31-7, Auditing for Quality Assurance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pritchard, Jim; Espy, John

This seventh in a series of eight modules for a course titled Quality Assurance Practices describes the key features of an audit system and offers practice in carrying out tasks of the technicians. The module follows a typical format that includes the following sections: (1) introduction, (2) module prerequisites, (3) objectives, (4) notes to…

Performance of a quality assurance program for assessing dental health in methamphetamine users.

PubMed

Dye, Bruce A; Harrell, Lauren; Murphy, Debra A; Belin, Thomas; Shetty, Vivek

2015-07-05

Systematic characterization of the dental consequences of methamphetamine (MA) abuse presupposes a rigorous quality assurance (QA) program to ensure the credibility of the data collected and the scientific integrity and validity of the clinical study. In this report we describe and evaluate the performance of a quality assurance program implemented in a large cross-sectional study of the dental consequences of MA use. A large community sample of MA users was recruited over a 30 month period during 2011-13 and received comprehensive oral examinations and psychosocial assessments by site examiners based at two large community health centers in Los Angeles. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) protocols for oral health assessments were utilized to characterize dental disease. Using NHANES oral health quality assurance guidelines, examiner reliability statistics such as Cohen's Kappa coefficients and inter-class correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the magnitude of agreement between the site examiners and a reference examiner to ensure conformance and comparability with NHANES practices. Approximately 9% (n = 49) of the enrolled 574 MA users received a repeat dental caries and periodontal examination conducted by the reference examiner. There was high concordance between the reference examiner and the site examiners for identification of untreated dental disease (Kappa statistic values: 0.57-0.75, percent agreement 83-88%). For identification of untreated caries on at least 5 surfaces of anterior teeth, the Kappas ranged from 0.77 to 0.87, and percent agreement from 94 to 97%. The intra-class coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.87 to 89 for attachment loss across all periodontal sites assessed and the ICCs ranged from 0.79 to 0.81 for pocket depth. For overall gingival recession, the ICCs ranged from 0.88 to 0.91. When Kappa was calculated based on the CDC/AAP case definitions for severe periodontitis, inter-examiner reliability for

The Quality Assurance System for Ontario Postsecondary Education: 2010-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Qin

2015-01-01

The period of 2010 to 2014 marked a relatively stable stage in the evolving quality assurance system for Ontario postsecondary education, particularly following massive changes after 2000. The current system consists of three frameworks overseen respectively by three quality assurance agencies--the Ontario Universities Council on Quality…

NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance

Science.gov Websites

Framework for Mini-Grids | Integrated Energy Solutions | NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids NREL has teamed with the Global Lighting

QUALITY SCIENCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE: OBSERVATIONS OR AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST

EPA Science Inventory

--

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this manuscript is to examine the relationship between quality science (QS) and quality assurance (QA). Many research scientists definitely want to do QS, but are afraid or do not want to do QA because they are intimidated by the QA proc...

Compliance with Aerospace Quality Assurance Standard AS9100

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughitt, Brian

2009-01-01

The contents include: 1) United States Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 46, Quality Assurance; 2) NASA Quality Roadmap; 3) AS9003 Inspection and Test Quality Management System; 4) Government Oversight Responsibilities; and 5) Third Party vs Second Party Oversight.

Optimal procedures for quality assurance specifications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-04-01

This manual is a comprehensive guide that a highway agency can use when developing new, or modifying existing, acceptance plans and quality assurance specifications. It provides necessary instruction and illustrative examples to lead the agency throu...

Quality Assurance Project Plan Development Tool

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This tool contains information designed to assist in developing a Quality Assurance (QA) Project Plan that meets EPA requirements for projects that involve surface or groundwater monitoring and/or the collection and analysis of water samples.

Current Trends in European Quality Assurance. ENQA Workshop Report 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozo, Dhurata; Damian, Radu; Gonzalez, Cecilia de la Rosa; Helle, Emmi; Imoda, Franco; Kohler, Alexander; Papazoglou, Vassilios J.; Dalmau, Gemma Rauret; Shopov, Todor

2009-01-01

The present report is a product of two ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) seminars, held in 2007, on current trends in European Quality Assurance. The first seminar, hosted by the Bulgarian National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), examined the situation in South-Eastern Europe. The second seminar…

Quality Assurance Toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rama, Kondapalli, Ed.; Hope, Andrea, Ed.

2009-01-01

The Commonwealth of Learning is proud to partner with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Higher Education and UNESCO to produce this "Quality Assurance Toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes". The Toolkit has been prepared with three features. First, it is a generic document on quality assurance, complete with a…

Maintenance quality assurance peer exchange 2.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

This report documents a comprehensive study of twenty three maintenance quality assurance : (MQA) programs throughout the United States and Canada. The policies and standards of : each program were synthesized to create a general assessment on the co...

Quality Assurance of Real-Time Oceanographic Data from the Cabled Array of the Ocean Observatories Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawka, O. E.; Nelson, J. S.; Manalang, D.; Kelley, D. S.

2016-02-01

The Cabled Array component of the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) provides access to real-time physical, chemical, geological, and biological data from water column and seafloor platforms/instruments at sites spanning the southern half of the Juan de Fuca Plate. The Quality Assurance (QA) program for OOI data is designed to ensure that data products meet OOI science requirements. This overall data QA plan establishes the guidelines for assuring OOI data quality and summarizes Quality Control (QC) protocols and procedures, based on best practices, which can be utilized to ensure the highest quality data across the OOI program. This presentation will highlight, specifically, the QA/QC approach being utilized for the OOI Cabled Array infrastructure and data and will include a summary of both shipboard and shore-based protocols currently in use. Aspects addressed will be pre-deployment instrument testing and calibration checks, post-deployment and pre-recovery field verification of data, and post-recovery "as-found" testing of instruments. Examples of QA/QC data will be presented and specific cases of cabled data will be discussed in the context of quality assessments and adjustment/correction of OOI datasets overall for inherent sensor drift and/or instrument fouling.

21 CFR 1000.55 - Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Recommendation for quality assurance programs in... Recommendations § 1000.55 Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities. (a) Applicability. Quality assurance programs as described in paragraph (c) of this section are recommended for all...

21 CFR 1000.55 - Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Recommendation for quality assurance programs in... Recommendations § 1000.55 Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities. (a) Applicability. Quality assurance programs as described in paragraph (c) of this section are recommended for all...

21 CFR 1000.55 - Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Recommendation for quality assurance programs in... Recommendations § 1000.55 Recommendation for quality assurance programs in diagnostic radiology facilities. (a) Applicability. Quality assurance programs as described in paragraph (c) of this section are recommended for all...

Endorsing good quality assurance practices in molecular pathology: risks and recommendations for diagnostic laboratories and external quality assessment providers.

PubMed

Tembuyser, Lien; Dequeker, Elisabeth M C

2016-01-01

Quality assurance is an indispensable element in a molecular diagnostic laboratory. The ultimate goal is to warrant patient safety. Several risks that can compromise high quality procedures are at stake, from sample collection to the test performed by the laboratory, the reporting of test results to clinicians, and the organization of effective external quality assessment schemes. Quality assurance should therefore be safeguarded at each level and should imply a holistic multidisciplinary approach. This review aims to provide an overview of good quality assurance practices and discusses certain risks and recommendations to promote and improve quality assurance for both diagnostic laboratories and for external quality assessment providers. The number of molecular targets is continuously rising, and new technologies are evolving. As this poses challenges for clinical implementation and increases the demand for external quality assessment, the formation of an international association for improving quality assurance in molecular pathology is called for.

Quality assurance and quality control in mammography: a review of available guidance worldwide.

PubMed

Reis, Cláudia; Pascoal, Ana; Sakellaris, Taxiarchis; Koutalonis, Manthos

2013-10-01

Review available guidance for quality assurance (QA) in mammography and discuss its contribution to harmonise practices worldwide. Literature search was performed on different sources to identify guidance documents for QA in mammography available worldwide in international bodies, healthcare providers, professional/scientific associations. The guidance documents identified were reviewed and a selection was compared for type of guidance (clinical/technical), technology and proposed QA methodologies focusing on dose and image quality (IQ) performance assessment. Fourteen protocols (targeted at conventional and digital mammography) were reviewed. All included recommendations for testing acquisition, processing and display systems associated with mammographic equipment. All guidance reviewed highlighted the importance of dose assessment and testing the Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) system. Recommended tests for assessment of IQ showed variations in the proposed methodologies. Recommended testing focused on assessment of low-contrast detection, spatial resolution and noise. QC of image display is recommended following the American Association of Physicists in Medicine guidelines. The existing QA guidance for mammography is derived from key documents (American College of Radiology and European Union guidelines) and proposes similar tests despite the variations in detail and methodologies. Studies reported on QA data should provide detail on experimental technique to allow robust data comparison. Countries aiming to implement a mammography/QA program may select/prioritise the tests depending on available technology and resources. •An effective QA program should be practical to implement in a clinical setting. •QA should address the various stages of the imaging chain: acquisition, processing and display. •AEC system QC testing is simple to implement and provides information on equipment performance.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL FOR WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITIES. Project Summary

EPA Science Inventory

It is generally agreed that both quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are essential to the proper installation and eventual performance of environmentally safe and secure waste containment systems. Even further, there are both manufacturing and construction aspects to...

From Quality Assurance to Quality Enhancement in the European Higher Education Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gvaramadze, Irakli

2008-01-01

This article focuses on recent trends in quality assurance initiatives, analyses how the European Higher Education Area promotes quality enhancement mechanisms and their implications for quality cultures in universities. It presents and discusses two approaches towards quality enhancement both at the institutional and programme level: 1. Quality…

An Alternative View of Quality Assurance and Enhancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Viola Yuk-Yue

2012-01-01

This paper attempts to deal with the elusive nature of quality in quality management, using a case study to examine quality control measures implemented in an academic context and to show an emergent framework for quality enhancement. This paper introduces the concept of the ecology of quality assurance and examines efforts to maintain and advance…

Is Quality Assurance in Higher Education Contextually Relative?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ntshoe, I.; Higgs, P.; Wolhuter, C. C.; Higgs, L. G.

2010-01-01

This article examines notions of quality and quality assurance in higher education. It does this by raising questions such as whether quality in higher education is the same as, for example, quality of clothing or the quality of meat in local butcheries. The article questions the assumption that if certain things, such as criteria or…

Quality assurance in surgical oncology. Colorectal cancer as an example.

PubMed

Gunnarsson, Ulf

2003-02-01

Quality assurance in surgical oncology is a field of growing importance. National, regional and local systems have been built up in many countries. Often the quality assurance projects are linked to different registers. The advantage of such a link is the possibility of obtaining population-based data from unselected health care institutions. Few discussions of results from such projects have been published. Quality assurance of colorectal cancer surgery implies the development and use of systems for improvement all the way from detection of the cancer to the outcome as survival and patient satisfaction. To achieve this we must know what methods are being used and the outcome of our treatments. Designing processes for improvement necessitates careful planning, including decisions about end-points. Some crucial issues are discussed step-by-step in the present paper. In addition to auditing and providing collegial feedback, quality assurance is a tool for closing the gap between clinical practice and evidence based medicine and for creating new evidences as well as monitoring the introduction of new techniques and their effects.

IEEE Std 730 Software Quality Assurance: Supporting CMMI-DEV v1.3, Product and Process Quality Assurance

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-27

frameworks 4 CMMI-DEV IEEE / ISO / IEC 15288 / 12207 Quality Assurance ©2011 Walz IEEE Life Cycle Processes & Artifacts • Systems Life Cycle Processes...TAG to ISO TC 176 Quality Management • Quality: ASQ, work experience • Software: three books, consulting, work experience • Systems: Telecom & DoD...and IEEE 730 SQA need to align. The P730 IEEE standards working group has expanded the scope of the SQA process standard to align with IS 12207

Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance Provisions for the Office of Aeronautics, Exploration and Technology Centers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This Handbook establishes general safety, reliability, and quality assurance (SR&QA) guidelines for use on flight and ground-based projects conducted at the Ames, Langley, and Lewis Research Centers, hereafter identified as the Office of Aeronautics, Exploration and Technology (OAET) Centers. This document is applicable to all projects and operations conducted at these Centers except for those projects covered by more restrictive provisions such as the Space Shuttle, Space Station, and unmanned spacecraft programs. This Handbook is divided into two parts. The first (Chapters 1 and 2) establishes the SR&QA guidelines applicable to the OAET Centers, and the second (Appendices A, B, C, and D) provides examples and definitions for the total SR&QA program. Each center should implement SR&QA programs using these guidelines with tailoring appropriate to the special projects conducted by each Center. This Handbook is issued in loose-leaf form and will be revised by page changes.

Analytical approaches to quality assurance and quality control in rangeland monitoring data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Producing quality data to support land management decisions is the goal of every rangeland monitoring program. However, the results of quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) efforts to improve data quality are rarely reported. The purpose of QA and QC is to prevent and describe non-sampling...

23 CFR 637.207 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... independent assurance (IA) program consisting of the following: (1) Acceptance program. (i) Each STD's... quality control samples. (C) The quality control sampling and testing is evaluated by an IA program. (iii... appropriate. See 23 CFR 635.413(e) for specific requirements. (2) The IA program shall evaluate the qualified...

77 FR 18709 - Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources AGENCY... direct final rule titled ``Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at...--Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources Docket, EPA...

Quality assurance in transnational higher education: a case study of the tropEd network

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Transnational or cross-border higher education has rapidly expanded since the 1980s. Together with that expansion issues on quality assurance came to the forefront. This article aims to identify key issues regarding quality assurance of transnational higher education and discusses the quality assurance of the tropEd Network for International Health in Higher Education in relation to these key issues. Methods Literature review and review of documents. Results From the literature the following key issues regarding transnational quality assurance were identified and explored: comparability of quality assurance frameworks, true collaboration versus erosion of national education sovereignty, accreditation agencies and transparency. The tropEd network developed a transnational quality assurance framework for the network. The network accredits modules through a rigorous process which has been accepted by major stakeholders. This process was a participatory learning process and at the same time the process worked positive for the relations between the institutions. Discussion The development of the quality assurance framework and the process provides a potential example for others. PMID:23537108

Quality Assurance in South Africa: A Reply to John Mammen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

le Grange, L.

2006-01-01

In this article I point out that prominence given to higher education quality assurance by contemporary states might be viewed in the context of the ascendance of neoliberalism over the past few decades and a concomitant culture of performativity. However, I argue for a shift in the angle of vision on performativity and quality assurance through a…

Quality assurance in Australian hospitals: who does it and how?

PubMed

Renwick, M; Harvey, R

1990-01-01

To seek information on the type, method and extent of quality assurance being undertaken in all public and private hospitals within Australia. Mailed questionnaire. There was a predominance of two types of review being undertaken. Some important deficiencies in the quality assurance process were identified. Far more private than public hospitals reviewed medical records and surveyed patient satisfaction.

[Quality assurance using routine data. Is outcome quality now measurable?].

PubMed

Kostuj, T; Smektala, R

2010-12-01

Health service quality in Germany can be shown by the data from the external quality assurance program (BQS) but as these records are limited to the period of in-hospital stay no information about outcome after discharge from hospital can be obtained. Secondary routine administrative data contain information about long-term outcome, such as mortality, subsequent revision and the need for care following surgical treatment due to a hip fracture.Experiences in the use of secondary data dealing with treatment of hip fractures from the BQS are available in our department. In addition we analyzed routine administrative data from the health insurance companies Knappschaft Bahn-See and AOK in a cooperative study with the WidO (scientific institute of the AOK). These routine data clearly show a bias because of poor quality in coding as well as broad interpretation possibilities of some of the ICD-10 codes used.Consequently quality assurance using routine data is less valid than register-based conclusions. Nevertheless medical expertise is necessary to avoid misinterpretation of routine administrative data.

Methodological quality of guidelines in gastroenterology.

PubMed

Malheiro, Rui; de Monteiro-Soares, Matilde; Hassan, Cesare; Dinis-Ribeiro, Mário

2014-06-01

Clinical guidelines are a common feature in modern endoscopy practice and they are being produced faster than ever. However, their methodological quality is rarely assessed. This study evaluated the methodological quality of current clinical guidelines in the field of gastroenterology, with an emphasis on endoscopy. Practice guidelines published by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE), British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) were searched between September and October 2012 and evaluated using the AGREE II (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation) instrument (23 items, scores 1 - 7 for each item; higher scores mean better quality). A total of 100 guidelines were assessed. The mean number of items scoring 6 or 7 per guideline was 9.2 (out of 23 items). Overall, 99 % of guidelines failed to include the target population in the development process, and 96 % did not report facilitators and barriers to guideline application. In addition, 86 % did not include advice or tools, and 94 % did not present monitoring or auditing criteria. The global methodological quality of clinical guidelines in the field of gastroenterology is poor, particularly regarding involvement of the target population in the development of guidelines and in the provision of clear suggestions to practitioners. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

COMMUNITY MULTISCALE AIR QUALITY ( CMAQ ) MODEL - QUALITY ASSURANCE AND VERSION CONTROL

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will be given to the EPA Exposure Modeling Workgroup on January 24, 2006. The quality assurance and version control procedures for the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model are presented. A brief background of CMAQ is given, then issues related to qual...

Nuclear Technology Series. Course 14: Introduction to Quality Assurance/Quality Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technical Education Research Center, Waco, TX.

This technical specialty course is one of thirty-five courses designed for use by two-year postsecondary institutions in five nuclear technician curriculum areas: (1) radiation protection technician, (2) nuclear instrumentation and control technician, (3) nuclear materials processing technician, (4) nuclear quality-assurance/quality-control…

SWMM 5 REDEVELOPMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

EPA recently released a new version of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) that combines a new interface with a completely re-written computational engine. The SWMM redevelopment project proceeded under a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that describes methods and proced...

From Quality Assurance to Quality Practices: An Investigation of Strong Microcultures in Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mårtensson, Katarina; Roxå, Torgny; Stensaker, Bjørn

2014-01-01

One of the main beliefs in quality assurance is that this activity--indirectly--will stimulate change in the work practices associated with teaching and learning in higher education. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence of the existence of such a link. Instead, quality assurance has created an unfortunate divide between formal…

Quality control and quality assurance of hot mix asphalt construction in Delaware.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-07-01

Since the mid 60s the Federal Highway Administration began to encourage : Departments of Transportation and Contractors toward the use of quality control and : quality assurance (QA/QC) specifications, which are statistically based. : For example,...

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL FOR WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITIES

EPA Science Inventory

This Technical Guidance Document provides comprehensive guidance on procedures for quality assurance and quality control for waste containment facilities. he document includes a discussion of principles and concepts, compacted soil liners, soil drainage systems, geosynthetic drai...

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL FOR WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITIES

EPA Science Inventory

This Technical Guidance Document provides comprehensive guidance on procedures for quality assurance and quality control for waste containment facilities. The document includes a discussion of principles and concepts, compacted soil liners, soil drainage systems, geosynthetic dr...

Evolution of Quality Assurance for Clinical Immunohistochemistry in the Era of Precision Medicine: Part 4: Tissue Tools for Quality Assurance in Immunohistochemistry.

PubMed

Cheung, Carol C; D'Arrigo, Corrado; Dietel, Manfred; Francis, Glenn D; Fulton, Regan; Gilks, C Blake; Hall, Jacqueline A; Hornick, Jason L; Ibrahim, Merdol; Marchetti, Antonio; Miller, Keith; van Krieken, J Han; Nielsen, Soren; Swanson, Paul E; Taylor, Clive R; Vyberg, Mogens; Zhou, Xiaoge; Torlakovic, Emina E

2017-04-01

The numbers of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive immunohistochemistry (IHC) tests are increasing; the implementation and validation of new IHC tests, revalidation of existing tests, as well as the on-going need for daily quality assurance monitoring present significant challenges to clinical laboratories. There is a need for proper quality tools, specifically tissue tools that will enable laboratories to successfully carry out these processes. This paper clarifies, through the lens of laboratory tissue tools, how validation, verification, and revalidation of IHC tests can be performed in order to develop and maintain high quality "fit-for-purpose" IHC testing in the era of precision medicine. This is the final part of the 4-part series "Evolution of Quality Assurance for Clinical Immunohistochemistry in the Era of Precision Medicine."

Quality Assurance for Higher Education Franchising.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yorke, Mantz

1993-01-01

The practice of "franchising" higher education programs, or provision of educational programs through vendors, is examined as it occurs in the United Kingdom as a result of recent educational policy changes. A set of principles for assuring the quality of such programs is proposed. (MSE)

Quality Assurance Strategies in Higher Education: The Case of Ghanaian Polytechnics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanzy, Patrick; Potts, Anthony

2017-01-01

This study investigated the internal quality assurance strategies Ghanaian polytechnics enacted in order to improve graduate outcomes. A qualitative methodological approach via in-depth interviewing of twenty key informants and document analysis was used to establish how polytechnics in Ghana addressed problematic situations in quality assurance.…

75 FR 37819 - Proposed Information Quality Guidelines Policy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Proposed Information Quality Guidelines Policy ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on Proposed Information Quality Guidelines. SUMMARY: These guidelines should be used to ensure and maximize the quality of disseminated information. The Department's guidelines are...

Quality Assurance--Best Practices for Assessing Online Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qi

2006-01-01

Educators have long sought to define quality in education. With the proliferation of distance education and online learning powered by the Internet, the tasks required to assess the quality of online programs become even more challenging. To assist educators and institutions in search of quality assurance methods to continuously improve their…

A Strategic Quality Assurance Framework in an African Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ansah, Francis

2015-01-01

This study is based on a pragmatist analysis of selected international accounts on quality assurance in higher education. A pragmatist perspective was used to conceptualise a logical internal quality assurance model to embed and support the alignment of graduate competencies in curriculum and assessment of Ghanaian polytechnics. Through focus…

Quality Assurance Policies and Practices in Scandinavian Higher Education Systems: Convergence or Different Paths?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalpazidou Schmidt, Evanthia

2017-01-01

Because there is close cooperation on quality assurance in the Scandinavian countries, one would expect there to be convergence of quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education. Few studies have analysed these quality assurance policies and practices from a comparative viewpoint. Based on empirical evidence produced in…

30 CFR 14.8 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Quality assurance. 14.8 Section 14.8 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF... Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce or other nationally or internationally recognized...

30 CFR 14.8 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Quality assurance. 14.8 Section 14.8 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF... Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce or other nationally or internationally recognized...

30 CFR 14.8 - Quality assurance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Quality assurance. 14.8 Section 14.8 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING, EVALUATION, AND APPROVAL OF... Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce or other nationally or internationally recognized...

Quality assurance in materials and construction

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-06-01

This review is a product of the FHWA 2006, National Review Program (NRP). Quality Assurance (QA) was selected for review in 2006 because the program was ranked as one of the top five areas of interest for review by FHWA. Over the last 10 years an ave...

Semantic Clinical Guideline Documents

PubMed Central

Eriksson, Henrik; Tu, Samson W.; Musen, Mark

2005-01-01

Decision-support systems based on clinical practice guidelines can support physicians and other health-care personnel in the process of following best practice consistently. A knowledge-based approach to represent guidelines makes it possible to encode computer-interpretable guidelines in a formal manner, perform consistency checks, and use the guidelines directly in decision-support systems. Decision-support authors and guideline users require guidelines in human-readable formats in addition to computer-interpretable ones (e.g., for guideline review and quality assurance). We propose a new document-oriented information architecture that combines knowledge-representation models with electronic and paper documents. The approach integrates decision-support modes with standard document formats to create a combined clinical-guideline model that supports on-line viewing, printing, and decision support. PMID:16779037

Effectiveness Comparison of TxDOT Quality Control/Quality Assurance and Method Specifications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

Original Report date: October 1997. This is the first and final report for research project 0-1721, "Effectiveness Comparison of TxDOT Quality Control/Quality Assurance and Method Specifications." This study was established and sponsored by TxDOT to ...

Canadian Association of Gastroenterology consensus guidelines on safety and quality indicators in endoscopy

PubMed Central

Armstrong, David; Barkun, Alan; Bridges, Ron; Carter, Rose; de Gara, Chris; Dubé, Catherine; Enns, Robert; Hollingworth, Roger; MacIntosh, Donald; Borgaonkar, Mark; Forget, Sylviane; Leontiadis, Grigorios; Meddings, Jonathan; Cotton, Peter; Kuipers, Ernst J; Valori, Roland

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Increasing use of gastrointestinal endoscopy, particularly for colorectal cancer screening, and increasing emphasis on health care quality, highlight the need for clearly defined, evidence-based processes to support quality improvement in endoscopy. OBJECTIVE: To identify processes and indicators of quality and safety relevant to high-quality endoscopy service delivery. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of 35 voting participants developed recommendation statements and performance indicators. Systematic literature searches generated 50 initial statements that were revised iteratively following a modified Delphi approach using a web-based evaluation and voting tool. Statement development and evidence evaluation followed the AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines, REsearch and Evaluation) and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) guidelines. At the consensus conference, participants voted anonymously on all statements using a 6-point scale. Subsequent web-based voting evaluated recommendations for specific, individual quality indicators, safety indicators and mandatory endoscopy reporting fields. Consensus was defined a priori as agreement by 80% of participants. RESULTS: Consensus was reached on 23 recommendation statements addressing the following: ethics (statement 1: agreement 100%), facility standards and policies (statements 2 to 9: 90% to 100%), quality assurance (statements 10 to 13: 94% to 100%), training, education, competency and privileges (statements 14 to 19: 97% to 100%), endoscopy reporting standards (statements 20 and 21: 97% to 100%) and patient perceptions (statements 22 and 23: 100%). Additionally, 18 quality indicators (agreement 83% to 100%), 20 safety indicators (agreement 77% to 100%) and 23 recommended endoscopy-reporting elements (agreement 91% to 100%) were identified. DISCUSSION: The consensus process identified a clear need for high-quality clinical and outcomes research to support quality

Quality assurance and stability reference (QUASAR) monitoring concept for calibration/validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teillet, Philippe M.; Horler, D. N.; O'Neill, Norman T.

1997-12-01

The paper introduces the concept that calibration/validation (cal/val) can play an essential role in bringing remote sensing to mainstream consumers in an information-based society, provided that cal/val is an integral part of a quality-assurance strategy. A market model for remote sensing is introduced and used to demonstrate that quality assurance is the key to bridging the gap between early adopters of technology and mainstream markets. The paper goes on to propose the semi-continuous monitoring of quality assurance and stability reference (QUASAR) sites as an important first step towards a cal/val infrastructure beneficial to mainstream users. Prospective QUASAR test sites are described.

Asian Care Certificate (ACC): a care quality assurance framework.

PubMed

Talaie, Tony

2018-04-16

Purpose Quality assuring elderly care through a viable and feasible standard framework is a major challenge for Asian governments. Although several attempts have been made to tackle foreign care worker (FCW) shortage, assuring the quality of the care they provide has been overlooked. The original framework allowed a better control over service quality to assure the elderly about their care according to the agreed standards. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Through several Japanese Governmental meetings, a new Asian Care Certificate (ACC) program is discussed based on the Japanese Care Certificate (JCC). The governments' representatives adopted the JCC to form the ACC, which enables the ACC board to evaluate care workers and to intervene whenever the desired quality level is not achieved. Findings The author describes a new program. The findings of this paper will be confirmed when the ACC is implemented. Practical implications Using the ACC framework, the challenge in providing a high-quality care service using FCWs across Asia would be partly resolved. FCWs' quality of life might also gradually improve especially regarding to their human rights. Originality/value The ACC provides a new framework. Its value is recognized if one considers that many Asian populations are rapidly aging and many governments compromise quality by employing overseas workers to solve care worker shortages.

Cui Bono? The Relevance and Impact of Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massaro, Vin

2010-01-01

External quality assurance of universities exists to assure society that higher education standards are adequate and, in an increasingly global market, that they are comparable internationally. Although society has accepted an implicit compact in giving autonomy to universities in return for their dispassionate service to it, there has been an…

Quality Assurance Systems in Education and Training in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voinia, Claudiu Sorin; Tuşa, Ana; Simion, Carmen

2014-11-01

Member States have a duty to compare and learn more about the national education and professional training. The objectives of this paper were to identify specific characteristics, developments and highlighting key priorities in coordinating the development of specific quality assurance processes in the European Union. The aim of this work was to present the quality assurance systems in vocational education and training systems in the Member States of the European Union. The results were to identify the extent to which national initiatives of EU member States show interest in the quality of education. Data from research can be useful in developing strategic sector development programs, and local schools

Development of quality assurance methods for epoxy graphite prepreg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, J. S.; Hunter, A. B.

1982-01-01

Quality assurance methods for graphite epoxy/prepregs were developed. Liquid chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography were investigated. These methods were applied to a second prepreg system. The resin matrix formulation was correlated with mechanical properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis and fracture toughness methods were investigated. The chromatography and calorimetry techniques were all successfully developed as quality assurance methods for graphite epoxy prepregs. The liquid chromatography method was the most sensitive to changes in resin formulation. The were also successfully applied to the second prepreg system.

Student Involvement in the Egyptian Quality Assurance System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elassy, Noha

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the extent and the quality of student involvement in the quality assurance process (QAP) in Egyptian higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach: In this study, two qualitative methods were used to explore the extent and the quality of student involvement; these were focus groups…

Rapid assessment of antimicrobial resistance prevalence using a Lot Quality Assurance sampling approach.

PubMed

van Leth, Frank; den Heijer, Casper; Beerepoot, Mariëlle; Stobberingh, Ellen; Geerlings, Suzanne; Schultsz, Constance

2017-04-01

Increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires rapid surveillance tools, such as Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS). LQAS classifies AMR as high or low based on set parameters. We compared classifications with the underlying true AMR prevalence using data on 1335 Escherichia coli isolates from surveys of community-acquired urinary tract infection in women, by assessing operating curves, sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity and specificity of any set of LQAS parameters was above 99% and between 79 and 90%, respectively. Operating curves showed high concordance of the LQAS classification with true AMR prevalence estimates. LQAS-based AMR surveillance is a feasible approach that provides timely and locally relevant estimates, and the necessary information to formulate and evaluate guidelines for empirical treatment.

Outcomes of Quality Assurance: A Discussion of Knowledge, Methodology and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stensaker, Bjorn

2008-01-01

A common characteristic in many quality assurance schemes around the world is their implicit and often narrowly formulated understanding of how organisational change is to take place as a result of the process. By identifying some of the underlying assumptions related to organisational change in current quality assurance schemes, the aim of this…

40 CFR 75.21 - Quality assurance and quality control requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., as defined in § 72.2, k=2) of plus or minus 1.0 percent (calculated combined standard uncertainty of... system according to the quality assurance and quality control procedures in appendix B of this part. (2... requirements of Method 2, 6C, 7E, or 3A in Appendices A-1, A-2 and A-4 to part 60 of this chapter (supplemented...

Nuclear Technology Series. Course 31: Quality-Assurance Practices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Occupational Research and Development, Inc., Waco, TX.

This technical specialty course is one of thirty-five courses designed for use by two-year postsecondary institutions in five nuclear technician curriculum areas: (1) radiation protection technician, (2) nuclear instrumentation and control technician, (3) nuclear materials processing technician, (4) nuclear quality-assurance/quality-control…

Evaluation of procedures for quality assurance specifications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-10-01

The objective of this project was to develop a comprehensive quality assurance (QA) manual, supported by scientific evidence and statistical theory, which provides step-by-step procedures and instructions for developing effective and efficient QA spe...

The Symbolic Role of Academic Boards in University Academic Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowlands, Julie

2013-01-01

While much research on quality assurance in higher education has centred on issues related to the impact on teaching and learning and academic staff, there is a significant gap in the area of quality assurance and academic governance. Within Australia the roles of university academic boards (also known as academic senates or faculty senates) have…

Creating an Impetus for Institutional Analysis in South America: Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middaugh, Michael; Silva, Moises; Ramirez, Soledad; Reich, Ricardo

2008-01-01

Institutional research (IR) in Latin America is experiencing dramatic growth due, in no small measure, to the need for quality assurance in educational institutions developing trained workforces for emerging economies. Quality can be assured only where it can be measured, and that is at the core of institutional research in countries to the south…

78 FR 25445 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; Quality Assurance Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

...; Submission for OMB Review; Quality Assurance Requirements AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD), General... collection requirement concerning quality assurance requirements. A notice was published in the Federal... before May 31, 2013. ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection 9000- 0077, Quality...

Standard procedures and quality-control practices for the U.S. Geological Survey National Field Quality Assurance Program from 1982 through 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, D.L.

1995-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey operates the National Field Quality Assurance Program to provide quality- assurance reference samples to field personnel who make water-quality field measurements. The program monitors the accuracy and precision of pH, specific conductance, and alkalinity field measurements. This report documents the operational procedures and quality-control techniques used in operating the quality-assurance program.

42 CFR 417.106 - Quality assurance program; Availability, accessibility, and continuity of basic and supplemental...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Qualified Health Maintenance Organizations: Services § 417.106 Quality assurance program; Availability, accessibility, and continuity of basic and supplemental health services. (a) Quality assurance program. Each HMO or CMP must have an ongoing quality assurance program for its health services that meets the...

Quality Assurance in Engineering Education: Comparison of Accreditation Schemes and ISO 9001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karapetrovic, Stanislav; Rajamani, Divakar; Willborn, Walter

1998-01-01

Outlines quality assurance schemes for distance-education technologies that are based on the ISO 9000 family of international quality-assurance standards. Argues that engineering faculties can establish such systems on the basis of and integrated with accreditation schemes. Contains 34 references. (DDR)

Quality Assurance in Post-Secondary Education: Some Common Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Dennis Chung Sea

2010-01-01

Purpose: The common approaches to quality assurance (QA), as practiced by most post-secondary education institutions for internal quality monitoring and most QA authorities for external quality monitoring (EQM), have been considered by many researchers as having largely failed to address the essence of educational quality. The purpose of this…

The Columbia River Protection Supplemental Technologies Quality Assurance Project Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fix, N. J.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers are working on the Columbia River Protection Supplemental Technologies Project. This project is a U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management-funded initiative designed to develop new methods, strategies, and technologies for characterizing, modeling, remediating, and monitoring soils and groundwater contaminated with metals, radionuclides, and chlorinated organics. This Quality Assurance Project Plan provides the quality assurance requirements and processes that will be followed by the Technologies Project staff.

NASA guidelines for assuring the adequacy and appropriateness of security safeguards in sensitive applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tompkins, F. G.

1984-01-01

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-71, transmittal Memorandum No. 1, requires that each agency establish a management control process to assure that appropriate administrative, physical and technical safeguards are incorporated into all new computer applications. In addition to security specifications, the management control process should assure that the safeguards are adequate for the application. The security activities that should be integral to the system development process are examined. The software quality assurance process to assure that adequate and appropriate controls are incorporated into sensitive applications is also examined. Security for software packages is also discussed.

Quality Assurance in Turkish Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bugday Ince, Sehriban; Gounko, Tatiana

2014-01-01

The implementation of quality assurance (QA) is one of the most challenging reform areas for Turkey due to the unique organization of its higher education system. This paper explores the development of QA systems in Turkish universities. Using a qualitative case study approach, the authors examine how Turkey accomplishes the goal of implementing…

75 FR 16088 - Proposed Information Quality Guidelines Policy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Proposed Information Quality Guidelines Policy AGENCY: U.S... Quality Guidelines Policy. SUMMARY: The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) seeks public comment on the Proposed Information Quality Guidelines policy. The policy outlines the EAC's directives and...

EPA Guidance for Geospatially Related Quality Assurance Project Plans

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This March 2003 document discusses EPA's Quality Assurance (QA) Project Plan as a tool for project managers and planners to document the type and quality of data and information needed for making environmental decisions

Underground Test Area Quality Assurance Project Plan Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Irene Farnham

This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) provides the overall quality assurance (QA) program requirements and general quality practices to be applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) Underground Test Area (UGTA) Sub-Project (hereafter the Sub-Project) activities. The requirements in this QAPP are consistent with DOE Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance (DOE, 2005); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (EPA, 2002); and EPA Guidance on the Development, Evaluation, and Application of Environmental Models (EPA, 2009). The QAPP Revision 0 supersedes DOE--341, Underground Test Area Quality Assurancemore » Project Plan, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 4.« less

Advanced Hysteroscopic Surgery: Quality Assurance in Teaching Hospitals.

PubMed

Erian, Mark M S; McLaren, Glenda R; Erian, Anna-Marie

2017-01-01

Advanced hysteroscopic surgery (AHS) is a vitally important technique in the armamentarium for the management of many day-to-day clinical problems, such as menorrhagia, surgical excision of uterine myomata and septa in the management of female infertility, hysteroscopic excision of chronically retained products of conception (placenta accreta), and surgical removal of intramural ectopic pregnancy. In today's climate of accountability, it is necessary that gynecologists take a more active role in assuring the quality of their work. In this article, we discuss the quality assurance system from the point of view of the surgical audit meetings in some of the major teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia).

Advanced Hysteroscopic Surgery: Quality Assurance in Teaching Hospitals

PubMed Central

McLaren, Glenda R.; Erian, Anna-Marie

2017-01-01

Advanced hysteroscopic surgery (AHS) is a vitally important technique in the armamentarium for the management of many day-to-day clinical problems, such as menorrhagia, surgical excision of uterine myomata and septa in the management of female infertility, hysteroscopic excision of chronically retained products of conception (placenta accreta), and surgical removal of intramural ectopic pregnancy. In today's climate of accountability, it is necessary that gynecologists take a more active role in assuring the quality of their work. In this article, we discuss the quality assurance system from the point of view of the surgical audit meetings in some of the major teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia). PMID:28729781

76 FR 8753 - Final Information Quality Guidelines Policy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Final Information Quality Guidelines Policy AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on Final Information Quality Guidelines. SUMMARY: These guidelines should be used to ensure and maximize the quality of disseminated information...

Assuring Quality in Large-Scale Online Course Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parscal, Tina; Riemer, Deborah

2010-01-01

Student demand for online education requires colleges and universities to rapidly expand the number of courses and programs offered online while maintaining high quality. This paper outlines two universities respective processes to assure quality in large-scale online programs that integrate instructional design, eBook custom publishing, Quality…

Quality Assurance Practices in Obstetric Care: A Survey of Hospitals in California.

PubMed

Lundsberg, Lisbet S; Lee, Henry C; Dueñas, Grace Villarin; Gregory, Kimberly D; Grossetta Nardini, Holly K; Pettker, Christian M; Illuzzi, Jessica L; Xu, Xiao

2018-02-01

To assess hospital practices in obstetric quality management activities and identify institutional characteristics associated with utilization of evidence-supported practices. Data for this study came from a statewide survey of obstetric hospitals in California regarding their organization and delivery of perinatal care. We analyzed responses from 185 hospitals that completed quality assurance sections of the survey to assess their practices in a broad spectrum of quality enhancement activities. The association between institutional characteristics and adoption of evidence-supported practices (ie, those supported by prior literature or recommended by professional organizations as beneficial for improving birth outcome or patient safety) was examined using bivariate analysis and appropriate statistical tests. Most hospitals regularly audited adherence to written protocols regarding critical areas of care; however, 77.7% and 16.8% reported not having written guidelines on diagnosis of labor arrest and management of abnormal fetal heart rate, respectively. Private nonprofit hospitals were more likely to have a written protocol for management of abnormal fetal heart rate (P=.002). One in 10 hospitals (9.7%) did not regularly review cases with significant morbidity or mortality, and only 69.0% regularly tracked indications for cesarean delivery. Moreover, 26.3%, 14.3%, and 8.7% of the hospitals reported never performing interprofessional simulations for eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, or postpartum hemorrhage, respectively. Teaching status was associated with more frequent simulations in these three areas (P≤.04 for all), while larger volume was associated with more frequent simulations for eclampsia (P=.04). Hospitals in California engage in a wide range of practices to assure or improve quality of obstetric care, but substantial variation in practice exists among hospitals. There is opportunity for improvement in adoption of evidence-supported practices.

Quality Assurance of Joint Degree Programs from the Perspective of Quality Assurance Agencies: Experience in East Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Yung-Chi; Ince, Martin; Tsai, Sandy; Wang, Wayne; Hung, Vicky; Lin Jiang, Chung; Chen, Karen Hui-Jung

2016-01-01

Joint degree programs have gained popularity in East Asia, due to the growth of transnational higher education in the region since 2000. However, the external quality assurance (QA) and accreditation of joint degree programs is a challenge for QA agencies, as it normally involves the engagement of several institutions and multiple national…

Quality Assurance: Administrator's Panacea or Pandemonium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comerford, Ralph; Silverman, Wade H.

Where mental health administrators used to rely on subjective judgments of senior clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services, they now rely more on a quality assurance (QA) plan. The primary motive for undertaking a QA program should be better service. QA may start out being very expensive in terms of personnel and…

REGIONAL AIR POLLUTION STUDY, QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITS

EPA Science Inventory

RAPS Quality Assurance audits were conducted under this Task Order in continuation of the audit program previously conducted under Task Order No. 58. Quantitative field audits were conducted of the Regional Air Monitoring System (RAMS) Air Monitoring Stations, Local Air Monitorin...

Annual Quality Assurance Conference Presentations by Johnathan Beck

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

25th Annual Quality Assurance Conference Presentation: Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts –Rules and Requirements and Presentation: Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2) Cryptosporidium Monitoring

Food fortification: issues on quality assurance and impact evaluation in developing countries.

PubMed

Florentino, R

2003-01-01

Quality assurance and impact evaluation are essential components of a food fortification program and should be integrated in the fortification process. Quality assurance will ensure that the micronutrient meant to be delivered is indeed reaching the target population at the correct level. Impact evaluation will determine the effectiveness of food fortification as a strategy in controlling micronutrient deficiency and enable program planners to make decisions on the future of the program. In developing countries, both quality assurance and impact evaluation are often constrained not only by inadequacy of facilities as well as financial and manpower resources, but by unclear definition of objectives and inappropriate design. It is therefore necessary to consider the target audience for the quality assurance monitoring and impact evaluation in order to clearly define their objectives and in turn suit the design to these objectives, at the same time as the limitations in financial and manpower resources are considered.

Quality Assurance Systems, TQM, and the New Collegialism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Lee

This report discusses the application of the International Organization for Standards's ISO9000 quality assurance standard and Total Quality Management (TQM) to higher education in light of the "new collegialism." It defines the basic elements of ISO9000 and TQM, reviews the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, and notes efforts…

Software Quality Assurance and Controls Standard

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-27

Software Quality Assurance d C t l St d dan on ro s an ar Sue Carroll Principal Software Quality Analyst, SAS John Wal z VP Technology and...for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that...Cycle (SLC) process? • What is in a SQA Process? • Where are SQA Controls? • What is the SQA standards history? Wh t i h i i SQA?• a s c ang ng n

Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Esterly, Sean; Baring-Gould, Ian; Booth, Samuel

To address the root challenges of providing quality power to remote consumers through financially viable mini-grids, the Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP) initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial and the U.S. Department of Energy teamed with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Power Africa to develop a Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) for isolated mini-grids. The framework addresses both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) mini-grids, and is applicable to renewable, fossil-fuel, and hybrid systems.

Understanding and Evaluating Assurance Cases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushby, John; Xu, Xidong; Rangarajan, Murali; Weaver, Thomas L.

2015-01-01

Assurance cases are a method for providing assurance for a system by giving an argument to justify a claim about the system, based on evidence about its design, development, and tested behavior. In comparison with assurance based on guidelines or standards (which essentially specify only the evidence to be produced), the chief novelty in assurance cases is provision of an explicit argument. In principle, this can allow assurance cases to be more finely tuned to the specific circumstances of the system, and more agile than guidelines in adapting to new techniques and applications. The first part of this report (Sections 1-4) provides an introduction to assurance cases. Although this material should be accessible to all those with an interest in these topics, the examples focus on software for airborne systems, traditionally assured using the DO-178C guidelines and its predecessors. A brief survey of some existing assurance cases is provided in Section 5. The second part (Section 6) considers the criteria, methods, and tools that may be used to evaluate whether an assurance case provides sufficient confidence that a particular system or service is fit for its intended use. An assurance case cannot provide unequivocal "proof" for its claim, so much of the discussion focuses on the interpretation of such less-than-definitive arguments, and on methods to counteract confirmation bias and other fallibilities in human reasoning.