ECAT Foundation www.ecat.nl , based in Leiden in the Netherlands, has chosen KPMD EQA Programme Management software for the management of their external quality assessment, proficiency testing, and inter-laboratory comparison schemes. The ECAT Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the objective to provide an international External Quality Assessment Programme (EQAP) for laboratories working in the field of haemostasis and thrombosis. ECAT have provided this international external quality control programme since 1992. Currently there are 15 modules for regular laboratory tests and 9 modules for molecular biology.

The KPMD software will be used to manage the laboratories and their subscriptions to the various programmes. It also records the samples used, and all of the round/trial/distribution information, generating cover sheets, results forms, labels etc. The results data (quantitative, qualitative or interpretive) can be entered directly by participants onto a website and the office database updated automatically.

Details of the KPMD software can be found at www.kpmd.co.uk/scripts/ProgramMan.htm