Nationwide External Quality Assessment of Serum Glycated Albumin Measurement in China

Strategic Insights -

A new report reveals the outcome of the nationwide external quality assessment (EQA) program for glycated albumin (GA) measurement in China from 2024 to 2025. The program, organized by the National Center of Clinical Laboratories (NCCL), aimed to evaluate the analytical performance of GA assays in China. The study found that the implementation of the EQA program has improved the analytical performance and fostered a robust quality assurance culture across participating laboratories.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EQA program was organized by the National Center of Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) and involved 93.3% and 95.7% of participants achieving satisfactory annual performance in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
  • GA measurements demonstrated high precision within manufacturers, with a median intra-manufacturer robust coefficient of variation (CV) below 3.1%. However, notable disparities emerged across manufacturers, with a median inter-manufacturer robust CV of 6.5%.
  • The nationwide EQA program scheme has substantially improved analytical performance and cultivated a robust quality assurance culture across participating laboratories.
  • Persistent challenges to further elevating detection quality through EQA include sample commutability, procedure for target value assignment, and replicate samples.
  • Fostering collaborative engagement among all stakeholders is essential to overcome these limitations and establish a harmonized framework for GA detection.

Statistics:

  • 93.3% of participants achieved satisfactory annual performance in 2024.
  • 95.7% of participants achieved satisfactory annual performance in 2025.
  • Median intra-manufacturer robust CV was below 3.1%.
  • Median inter-manufacturer robust CV was 6.5%.
  • Median relative deviation from target values reached up to 9.3%.
  • Maximum deviation was as high as 40%.
  • 2024 to 2025 showed a steady improvement in laboratory performance.

Sources:

  • Nationwide external quality assessment of serum glycated albumin measurement in China during 2024-2025: current situation, challenges and prospects. Clinica Chimica Acta, 2025:120673.
  • Clinica Chimica Acta can be contacted at: Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • NewsRx LLC, China Weekly News, November 4, 2025, p 422.