Twenty years of external quality assurance in clinical cell analysis - A tribute to Jean-Luc D'Hautcourt

External quality assurance (EQA) programs in clinical cell analysis are now a consolidated item of laboratory practice. All the flow cytometric testings with an impact on clinical decision making have been submitted to regular EQA programs during the last 20 years, and this has produced internationally homogeneous guidelines, with a remarkable improvement in result reproducibility. Jean-Luc D'Hautcourt was a pioneer in this field, and his valuable contributions to flow cytometric method standardization and to the dissemination of the educational aspects of EQA programs are recognized. The different methodological approaches undertaken in the United States and Europe are discussed. The educational role of SIHON in the Benelux Countries and of UKNEQAS for Leucocyte Immunophenotyping worldwide is emphasized. Accredited and accreditating EQA programs require an impressive degree of organization and technical knowledge, so that only major international providers can afford such a task nowadays. However, small local studies still provide the necessary stimulus to the continuous improvement of the scientifical aspects of EQA schemes.

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