Chapter 26: Quality Assurance and Quality Control

for forensic services requires certain processes to ensure that a service will meet laboratory requirements for the integrity of testing.

for forensic services refers to the operational procedures necessary to meet quality requirements.

It was formed as a result of the DNA Identification Act (1994) passed by Congress in 1995. It only served from 1995 to 2000 to develop guidelines for quality assurance in forensic laboratories.

Its purpose is to facilitate forensic DNA community discussions regarding necessary laboratory methods and to share protocols for forensic DNA testing.

Recognized the potential of DNA testing for criminal investigations and made a number of recommendations related to the forensic application of DNA polymorphisms.

It has investigated systems for DNA profiling, has organized a number of collaborative exercises for the evaluation of new methods, and has published reports of its studies.

Formed its DNA working group to address issues of quality and standards for forensic DNA testing.

It also made recommendations for applying DNA evidence to criminal investigations in Europe.

Based on the EDNAP exercises and recommendations by the ENFSI and IEWPDP, the ________ for autosomal STR core loci was established.

A group that has been working on the selection of forensic DNA profiling systems, methods for use among European countries, and the maintenance of European population databases.

The process used to assess the qualification of a laboratory to meet established standards.

Accreditation in the United States is offered by the ________ for forensic laboratories performing casework.

Provides accreditation for laboratories performing DNA parentage testing according to the AABB’s standards.

The process of confirming that a laboratory procedure is sufficiently robust, reliable, and reproducible.

A ________ maintains successful performance and can cope with errors.

A ________ produces accurate results.

A ________ achieves the same or very similar results each time a sample is tested.

An accumulation of test data within the laboratory to demonstrate that established methods and procedures perform as expected in the laboratory.

The acquisition of test data and determination of conditions and limitations of a new or novel DNA methodology for use on forensic, database, known or casework reference samples.

Characterizes the degree of mutual agreement among a series of individual measurements, values and/or results. It depends only on the distribution of random errors and does not relate to the true value or specified value.

The ability of a measuring instrument to give responses close to a true value.

• It is an important component of quality control and quality assurance.

• It evaluates a laboratory’s performance of DNA analyses according to the laboratory’s standard protocols.

  • It also evaluates the quality of performance by individual analysts following laboratory protocols.

A voluntary process that recognizes the attainment of professional qualifications needed for practice in forensic services. It is not required, but is desired by some laboratories.

The nature of biologically important molecules in living systems, DNA replication and protein synthesis, and the quantitative and qualitative aspects of cellular metabolism.

The study of inherited traits, genotype/phenotype relationships, and population/species differences in allele and genotype frequencies.

It covers theories, methods, and techniques used in the study and analysis of gene structure, organization, and function.