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Andrological Evaluation of Male Infertility pp 11–27Cite as

Quality Management in Andrology Laboratory

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Abstract

Every clinical laboratory must have a system in place to ensure accurate results are obtained and reported to the ordering clinician. In the case of the andrology laboratory, semen processing is performed in addition to semen analysis, and quality management extends to producing high-quality specimens that are free from contamination. Quality management involves developing and following standard operating procedures that cover every aspect of laboratory testing, including regular evaluation and maintenance of the facility, maintenance and function checks of equipment, ensuring the quality of supplies, controlling microbial contamination, evaluating the competency of personnel, and securing of data integrity. In addition, test methods must be established and verified, the performance specifications of each test determined, and the accuracy and precision of each test monitored. Quality management is an ongoing process designed not only to produce a quality product and reduce risk to patients and workers, but to improve the quality of performance over time through research and innovation. This chapter discusses the application of quality management techniques to the andrology laboratory.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, Reproductive Medicine and Fertility, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 500 N Keene Street, Suite 203, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA

    Erma Z. Drobnis PhD

Authors
  1. Erma Z. Drobnis PhD
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Correspondence to Erma Z. Drobnis PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cleveland Clinic, American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

  2. Cleveland Clinic, American Center for Reproductive Medicine, CLEVELAND, Ohio, USA

    Sajal Gupta

  3. Cleveland Clinic, American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Rakesh Sharma

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Drobnis, E.Z. (2016). Quality Management in Andrology Laboratory. In: Agarwal, A., Gupta, S., Sharma, R. (eds) Andrological Evaluation of Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26797-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26797-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-26795-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-26797-5

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