Reference intervals as a tool for total quality management

The more traditional, widespread and practiced method for interpreting the laboratory results is based on the comparison made with reference intervals. Nevertheless, the creation of appropriate reference intervals requires careful planning, monitoring and documentation of every aspect of the study, including the selection of the reference population (encompassing selection of homogeneous groups of reference according to ethnicity, geographical origin and environmental conditions, stratification according to age and gender, definition of health status) along with the use of the most appropriate statistical tools. In the very next future, the longitudinal comparison of laboratory results might probably replace the current use of reference intervals.