1 - HISTORY

ProBioQual was founded in 1972 by pharmacists from Lyon's hospitals specialized in clinical biology in order to consolidate and coordinate various initiatives aimed at promoting clinical biology.

ProBioQual is a non-profit association (French law 1901) registered with the Prefecture of Rhone county under No. W691066392.

It is directed by a board of directors of 10 members, an office composed of 5 members and animated by more than 30 volunteer expert biologists, scheme coordinators (Cf. Organization chart ).

As pioneer in the field of quality control of medical biology exams, ProBioQual has been offering for 50 years Internal and External Quality control programs allowing to meet the requirements of standards NF EN ISO 15189 / ISO 22870 and French law.

2 – MULTIDISCIPLINARY QUALITY CONTROL SCHEMES

ProBioQual have developed controls on more than 360 exams in Biochemistry, Immunology, Pharmaco -Toxicology, Hematology, Hemostasis, Serology, Bacteriology and Spermiology.

We offers 1 Internal Quality Control (CIQ) and 67 External Quality Assessment (EQA) schemes (including 43 accredited programs):

• External Quality Assessment is performed by fully independent expert clinical biologists / program coordinators who validate and interpret the statistical evaluations, draw up a report and answer your technical queries.
  Documentary evidence is provided: certificates proving you have registered for a scheme, statement of participation, graphical trends for your scores, z-scores and uncertainty of measurement (Long Term CV method), overall synthesis report and individual reports for each test.To learn all about our EQAs, Click here.
• Internal Quality Control is based on peer-group target values, determined using large numbers of values.
  Outsourced CIQ: We no longer perform individual and personalized calculations accompanied by an assessment of the quality of the results since January 31, 2024.

All computerized processing is performed using robust statistical methods in accordance with Algorithm A of standard ISO 13528 (Statistical methods for use in proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparison) and in compliance with the requirements of standard ISO 17043: 2010.

For more information, Download our 2025 brochure.

3 - ASSISTANCE FOR STAFF EMPOWERMENT

ProBioQual has developed 2 staff empowerment assistance schemes ( HABI ).

These schemes allow to provide assistance for the habilitation of employees (biologist, technician, intern) for an initial qualification, maintenance of competence or inter-operator comparability in services to the evaluation manager (administrator):

• A complete file: digitized slide, clinical context and possibly biological results.
• A reference value and a proposal of Acceptable Limits defined by the expert biologists of ProBioQual.
• An indicative interpretation.

The MBL remains responsible for the habilitation of its staff, ProBioQual leaves the laboratory to choose the criteria for the habilitation of its staff.

ProBioQual provides its expertise as an indication and offers an extraction of results of the people tested in the form of spreadsheets which can be used directly by the administrator.

4 – CONTINUING EDUCATION IN CLINICAL BIOLOGY

IMPORTANT: Our courses are available in French only.

ProBioQual is a training provider registered by the ANDPC under N ° 1747 and by professional education authorities under N ° 82 69 04 169 69.

In order to meet the requirements of Continuous Professional Development (CPD), ProBioQual has offered since its creation a Continuing Education in Clinical Biology for medical biologists and technicians in private and public medical biology laboratories.

These courses include training in all fields directly or indirectly related to clinical biology that clinical biologists have to deal with on a daily basis (bacteriology, biochemistry, hematology, immunology, virology, quality assurance, computer skills, instruments, regulations, etc.).

ProBioQual proposes one-day training dealing with a single theme.

For any information, you can contact formation@probioqual.com

5 - PROBIOQUAL’S STRONG POINTS

• ISO 17043 ACCREDITATION: 43 accredited EQA schemes.
• EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE: More than 30 medical biologists, volunteers or employees, experts in their field, validate, interpret and comment on statistical reports independently. They are available to answer your questions.
• INDEPENDENCE: ProBioQual does not have a commercial policy and acts independently of any industrialist in medical biology, any financial group concerning medical biology.
• RELEVANCE OF PEER GROUPS: Over 1370 laboratory sites take part in our different quality control schemes in 2024
• QUICKNESS AND REACTIVITY: Sending of the statistical reports of the EQA by e-mail within 15 days following the entry deadline.
• ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION.
• AUTOMATED TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS: Possibility to send your results in HPrim format.