Evaluation of Blood Alcohol Proficiency Testing Program

Abstract

Proficiency testing for the blood alcohol analysis of the Department of Medical Sciences, carried out by the Regional Medical Sciences Center 1, Chiang Mai. This study was aim to evaluate the quality of blood alcohol testing laboratories across the country using bovine blood. During 2013-2015, four bovine blood specimens were prepared and sent to 33 participants, from Department of Medical Sciences, university and hospital laboratories, twice a year. The laboratories use three techniques for alcohol analysis: Gas Chromatography, Dichromate oxidation and Enzymatic oxidation. Evaluation using Robust Z-score statistics showed that desirable results (|Z| ≤ 2) are in the range of 75.0% and 95.4%. The blood alcohol analysis technique that yields the most accurate result is gas chromatography with headspace sampling system and using internal standard. This program shows that most blood alcohol testing laboratories conduct with quality and reliability.