Recommendations are provided for standardized reporting of protein electrophoresis in Australia and New Zealand. It is expected that such standardized reporting formats will reduce both variation between laboratories and the risk of misinterpretation of results.

The Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) coordinated an interlaboratory study to assess the comparability of measurements of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in human serum, which is the primary marker of vitamin D status. A set of 50 individual donor samples were analyzed by 15 different laboratories representing national nutrition surveys, assay manufacturers, and clinical and/or research laboratories to provide results for total 25(OH)D using both immunoassays (IAs) and LC tandem MS (MS/MS). The results were evaluated relative to bias compared with the target values assigned based on a combination of measurements at Ghent University (Belgium) and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology using reference measurement procedures for the determination of 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3. CV and mean bias for each laboratory and assay platform were assessed and compared with previously established VDSP performance criteria, namely CV ≤ 10% and mean bias ≤ 5%. Nearly all LC-MS/MS results achieved VDSP criteria, whereas only 50% of IAs met the criterion for a ≤10% CV and only three of eight IAs achieved the ≤5% bias. These results establish a benchmark for the evaluation of 25(OH)D assay performance and standardization activities in the future.

The Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) coordinated a study in 2012 to assess the commutability of reference materials and proficiency testing/external quality assurance materials for total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in human serum, the primary indicator of vitamin D status. A set of 50 single-donor serum samples as well as 17 reference and proficiency testing/external quality assessment materials were analyzed by participating laboratories that used either immunoassay or LC-MS methods for total 25(OH)D. The commutability test materials included National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 972a Vitamin D Metabolites in Human Serum as well as materials from the College of American Pathologists and the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme. Study protocols and data analysis procedures were in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The majority of the test materials were found to be commutable with the methods used in this commutability study. These results provide guidance for laboratories needing to choose appropriate reference materials and select proficiency or external quality assessment programs and will serve as a foundation for additional VDSP studies.

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