Evaluation of external quality assessment results of 15 clinical laboratory quality indicators in China from 2019 to 2021

Objectives This study analyzed external quality assessment (EQA) results for 15 clinical laboratory quality indicators (QIs) in China from 2019 to 2021 to evaluate error-influencing factors, benchmark performance against international standards and inform preliminary quality specifications.Methods Data for 15 QIs were collected via a web-based EQA system from 2019 to 2021. Variations across years were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal Wallis H test.Results Participation rates exceeded 75% for most indicators. Specimen acceptability indicators improved significantly over time. Pre-examination and intra-laboratory turnaround times (TATs) for routine and stat samples remained generally stable over the study period, except for a slight but significant increase in intra-laboratory TAT for stat samples (p Conclusions Overall laboratory quality improved from 2019 to 2021. Deficiencies in tests covered by IQC and inter-laboratory comparison require targeted improvements and sustained monitoring of quality indicators.