Like every Proficiency Test, the program is conducted anonymously. Each laboratory has a code number in every round, known only to the laboratory and the Progetto Trieste Secretariat.

All Progetto Trieste activities are organized in conformance with ISO-IEC 43 Guide standards and are overseen by a Advisory Committee that meets at least once a year. Progetto Trieste procedures are described in the Quality Manual Tecna Srl, and this Manual is made available to the Advisory Committee.

The test materials are distributed to the laboratories and these must perform the analyses, using methods of their own choosing, and return the results reported on special forms by a specified date.

The laboratories first receive the "submitted data verification form" that allows the organization to verify the correct registration of the participants results; the document also contains some qualitative data for a first level evaluation of work correctness.

A final report sent out later will contain results for all the laboratories with the appropriate statistics and comparisons.

Activities and Subscriptions

The aim of the program is the evaluation of the performances of both screening and confirmation analysis ; for this reason the data are processed separately. The same material, but in different amount is supplied: letter A in the code of the sample identify a large volume for confirmation analysis, letter B a smaller volume for screening analysis.

In most cases test materials are incurred, others are prepared from matrices certified negative, supplemented with drugs, homogenized, apportioned and packaged. In this last case, the analyte of interest and its homogeneity are verified by appropriate laboratory tests.

Results, Processing, Reports

As regards processing of the results, it should be remembered that:

For confirmation analyses, performance is expressed quantitatively using z-scores.

For screening analyses, qualitative criteria have been established that allow the responses (also qualitative) provided by the individual laboratories to be judged satisfactory or otherwise.

Confidentiality of Results

Anonymity of the participants is guaranteed by the way the project is organized. Only with specific authorization from the participant the Progetto Trieste secretary would be able to disclose all or part of the results to an external organization.

What the Participant Receives

The test materials

The response forms

The complete reports with results from all the laboratories involved

The certificate attesting to the laboratory’s participation in Progetto Trieste

The Organizer of the program, Tecna Srl, obtained the quality system certificate ISO 9001/UNI EN ISO 9001-Ed 2000 on the 09th October 2003 (actual edition 2008); the activities of Progetto Trieste proficiency testing are included in this certificate.