Table 8.
Quality assurance and quality control programs in thyroid FNA cytology
| Country | Internal program | Nationwide external program |
|---|---|---|
| China | No data | No data |
| India | No data | External Quality Assurance Programme of the Indian Academy of Cytologists |
| Only straightforward diagnose are assessed for thyroid FNA quality control. | ||
| Japan | No data | No data |
| Korea | Accuracy assessment by cyto-histological correlations | Cytology proficiency testing in the Korean Society for Cytopathology has been performed since 1996. |
| Annual reports on quality control of thyroid FNA have been published since 1996. | National quality control program in the Korean Society of Pathologists began in 1999. | |
| Philippines | Self-review | In the process of developing an external quality assurance program in cytopathology |
| Intradepartmental referral to another pathologist | ||
| All thyroid surgeries with previous FNA done in the same hospital are reviewed. | ||
| Taiwan | No data | Currently there is no authoritative quality assurance program for external evaluation. |
| Thailand | No data | External quality assurance program for Thai pathologists is set up and supported by the Thai Society of Cytology. |
| No nationwide thyroid FNA cytologic-histological correlation program |
FNA, fine-needle aspiration.