1 - HISTORY

ProBioQual was founded in 1972 by pharmacists from Lyon's hospitals specialised 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, programme coordinators (Cf. Organisation chart ).

As pioneer in the field of quality control of medical biology exams, ProBioQual has been offering for 55 years External Quality control programmes allowing to meet the requirements of standards NF EN ISO 15189 and French law (For French medical biology laboratories).

2 – MULTIDISCIPLINARY QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAMMES

ProBioQual has developed controls on more than 370 exams in Biochemistry, Pharmacology - Toxicology, Haematology, Haemostasis, Serology (bacteriology and mycology), Bacteriology and Reproductive biology.

We offer 68 External Quality Assessment (EQA) programmes (including 52 accredited programmes).

Each EQA is performed by fully independent expert clinical biologists / programme 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 programme, 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.

All computerized processing is performed using robust statistical methods in accordance with Algorithm A of standard ISO 13528:2022 (Statistical methods for use in proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparison) and in compliance with the requirements of standard NF EN ISO/IEC 17043:2023.

For more information, Download our 2027 brochure.

3 - STAFF COMPETENCE ASSISTANCE

ProBioQual has developed 2 staff competence assistance programmes ( HABI ).

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

• A complete file: digitised slide, clinical context and 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, haematology, 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

• NF EN ISO/IEC 17043:2023 ACCREDITATION: 52 accredited EQA programmes.
• 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: 1,329 laboratory sites took part in our quality control programmes in 2026.
• 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: send us your EQA results directly and free of charge, in HPRIM, HL7 or CDA format.
• PBQ CONNECT: a modernised member area: secure personal account, management of your analysers by analytical site, and result entry grids tailored to each EQA programme.
• INTER-ANALYSER COMPARABILITY: set up free of charge for single- or multi-site laboratories on request.