Microbiology proficiency testing of Brazilian accredited laboratories

Proficiency testing (PT) schemes are an important tool to evaluate the performance of the laboratories. In microbiological testing, one of the most frequent areas for testing in Brazilian accredited laboratories, there are specific challenges related to the variability in measurement results (organisms, methods, matrices and others) all the more as critical and regulated areas are covered. The aim of this study was to obtain an overview about the PT activities within microbiology in order to learn about the local difficulties and possibilities. A questionnaire was sent to the accredited laboratories, and the answers will be used by CGCRE (Brazilian accreditation body) to establish policies, standardize the practices to the laboratories and also provide an orientation to PT providers.