Module GLP-09 · Version 1.0
Accuracy, Precision, Mean, SD, and CV
A working guide to the descriptive statistics a bench technologist uses to read control performance: mean, sample standard deviation, coefficient of variation, bias, and standardized distance, with a worked five-result run and a ten-day drift dataset that shows why a plot and a defined dataset come before any calculation.
Your next section
Start section 1Read without an account. Sign in to save.
Who this module is for
Clinical laboratory technologists, medical laboratory scientists, and laboratory students learning to interpret quality control statistics at the bench.
Learning objectives
- Calculate mean, sample SD, CV, and bias with correct units and appropriate rounding from a small control dataset
- Explain what each statistic describes operationally, and what it does not establish by itself
- Recognize outliers, nonstationarity (drift), concentration dependence, and insufficient sample size as reasons a summary statistic alone can mislead
How completion works
Mark every required section done and answer every knowledge check in those sections correctly. The final save completes the module automatically.
Sources
11 sources
1. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods, 1.3.5 Quantitative Techniques. https://itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/eda/section3/eda35.htm. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance
2. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods, 7.2.3 Are the data consistent with a nominal standard deviation? https://itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/prc/section2/prc23.htm. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance
3. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods, 1.3.6.6.1 Normal Distribution. https://itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/eda/section3/eda3661.htm. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance
4. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dataplot Reference Manual, Coefficient of Variation Test. https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/software/dataplot/refman1/auxillar/coefvate.htm. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance
5. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. EP15-A3: User Verification of Precision and Estimation of Bias; Approved Guideline, 3rd ed., September 11, 2014, reaffirmed September 2019. https://clsi.org/shop/standards/ep15/. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · consensus standard
6. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. EP05: Evaluation of Precision of Quantitative Measurement Procedures, 4th ed., December 11, 2025. https://clsi.org/shop/standards/ep05-plus/. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · consensus standard
7. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. C24: Statistical Quality Control for Quantitative Measurement Procedures: Principles and Definitions, 4th ed., September 29, 2016. https://clsi.org/shop/standards/c24/. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · consensus standard
8. College of American Pathologists. Laboratory Accreditation Program Standards for Accreditation. https://documents-cloud.cap.org/appsuite/learning/LAP/TLTM/resources/standards/LAPstandards.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · accreditation standard
9. 42 CFR 493.1256, Control procedures. Federal regulation. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-493.1256. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal regulation
10. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual, Appendix C: Survey Procedures and Interpretive Guidelines for Laboratories and Laboratory Services, Rev. 236, issued January 23, 2026. https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/som107ap_c_lab.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance
11. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Individualized Quality Control Plan (IQCP), page modified February 13, 2026. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/clinical-laboratory-improvement-amendments/quality-control. Accessed 2026-08-16.
Source note · federal guidance