IFCC LEAP Checklist Sets New Standard for Reporting Method Evaluation in Lab Medicine
The IFCC Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols developed the LEAP checklist to standardize how analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures are reported in laboratory medicine journals. The guideline addresses significant inconsistencies in current publications that make it difficult for practitioners, reviewers, and editors to assess evidence quality. Adoption of this checklist should improve the reliability of the evidence base that laboratories depend on for method selection.
The original study
The LEAP Checklist for Laboratory Evaluation and Analytical Performance Characteristics Reporting of Clinical Measurement Procedures.
- Authors
- Loh TP, Cooke BR, Tran TCM, Markus C, Zakaria R, Ho CS, et al.
- Journal
- Annals of laboratory medicine
- Type
- Guideline, Journal Article
- PMID
- 37869780
Original abstract
Reporting a measurement procedure and its analytical performance following method evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal is an important means for clinical laboratory practitioners to share their findings. It also represents an important source of evidence base to help others make informed decisions about their practice. At present, there are significant variations in the information reported in laboratory medicine journal publications describing the analytical performance of measurement procedures. These variations also challenge authors, readers, reviewers, and editors in deciding the quality of a submitted manuscript. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Method Evaluation Protocols (IFCC WG-MEP) developed a checklist and recommends its adoption to enable a consistent approach to reporting method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics of measurement procedures in laboratory medicine journals. It is envisioned that the Laboratory Evaluation and Analytical Performance Characteristics (LEAP) checklist will improve the standardisation of journal publications describing method evaluation and analytical performance characteristics, improving the quality of the evidence base that is relied upon by practitioners.