Riqas-To-MultiQC 3.

2 - User Manual
1. Intended use

Riqas-To-MultiQC is a programme designed to work associated with MultiQC (version 7.1 or higher), the QC software by the same author (www.multiqc.com). One of the original features of MultiQC is to display EQA returns and QC results on the same charts to provide the technical staff of the laboratory with a very meaningful depiction of the bias of analytical methods. Laboratories who subscribed to the RIQAS (Randox International Quality Assurance Scheme) can take advantage of the electronic pdf reports to easily copy their EQA returns to the Levey-Jennings charts of MultiQC without having to re-type data. Riqas-To-MultiQC can Read the Portable Document Format (PDF) files emailed by Randox (or downloaded at www.riqas.net) and convert them to plain text (see credit to Xpdf, section 8 below). Display the results of the laboratory and of the comparison groups of participants. Select a comparison group between the peer group, the same method group or the all methods group and calculate the relevant score. Copy the EQA data to MultiQC.

2.

Retrieving a pdf Riqas return

Start the programme Riqas2MQC, either by clicking its through the Start menu of Windows. icon on the desktop or

Click the button to open a file selection dialogue. Then browse to and select the PDF file that was emailed by Randox or that you downloaded from www.riqas.net.

The Riqas return is immediately loaded and displayed in the grid of the main window, For every Riqas test name (column 1) there are three comparison groups : The Peer group (column 3) The Same method group (column 4) The All methods group (column 5) Please refer to the documentation of Randox for the meaning of these three comparison groups. The small red numbers are the numbers of participants included in every comparison group.

A light-blue background highlights the comparison group selected by Randox. You can change the comparison group by clicking another column. The relevant bias and score are immediately updated. The button Back to Riqas targets restores the comparison groups selected by Randox. The button Show PDF opens the default PDF reader of your computer to display the original PDF file as sent by Randox;

3.

Connecting Riqas test names to MultiQC test names

The Riqas return displayed in the above grid cannot yet be sent to MultiQC because the right-hand column of the grid (MQC destination) is blank. It is necessary to link every Riqas test name to the relevant MultiQC analyte. This job is very easily performed by dragging-dropping an analyte name from the tree view of MultiQC to the column MQC destination. Show MultiQC by clicking its icon in the task bar of Windows. Make the main window of MultiQC narrower as shown in the picture below to be able to simultaneously display both programs: MultiQC and Riqas-To-MultiQC.

Three kinds of drag and drop movement are allowed to fill in the column MQC destination with the good analyte name or to correct errors: From the tree view of MultiQC to the column MQC destination Within the column MQC destination From the column MQC destination to the trash can The connexion between Riqas test names and MultiQC analytes is stored in a configuration file. It must be set up only once when the first EQA return is transmitted.

4.

Sending EQA return to MultiQC

The whole EQA return is usually sent to MultiQC at the same time. However you can uncheck some boxes of the column Lab result to disable transmission for one or several tests. Press the button Send to MultiQC to transmit the EQA data to MultiQC. You will have to answer the question "Date of the EQA assays ?" This information is compulsory to draw the EQA target flags at the good abscissa of the LeveyJennings charts.

5.

Transmission report

A transmission report is displayed after sending the Riqas data to MultiQC. Three lists of analytes may be shown : Transmission OK : Tests accepted by MultiQC Busy analytes : An analyte may be busy in MultiQC during the Riqas transmission because it is being processed by another workstation of the network. Transmitted data are then enqueued by MultiQC in a file to be automatically included in the busy analyte as soon as free (one trial every minute, abort after 100 trials). Unknown tests : These tests have not been identified by MultiQC probably because they have been renamed or deleted without updating Riqas-To-MultiQC.

A wrong transmission may be easily erased in MultiQC thanks to the menu Across analytesErase across analytes which can erase all of the entries on a given date/time.

6.

Analytes duplicated (cloned) in MultiQC

Some analytes may have been duplicated in MultiQC because a new lot of control material is about to be started. In this situation each Riqas return is also added to the duplicated analyte (~Analyte) provided there is at least an IQC point older than the Riqas return. It must be remembered that the EQA target flags are placed on the Levey-Jennings' charts compared with the EWMA curve and that there is no EWMA curve without QC point.

7.

Closing MultiQC

Riqas-To-MultiQC is the client of MultiQC, which works as a COM server. Both programmes must be installed on the same computer. When you start Riqas-To-MultiQC, MultiQC is simultaneously started if it is not already opened. MultiQC cannot be closed as long as it contains a COM application. All of the actions which would stop MultiQC when running stand-alone, only iconize it when server : Alt+F4 or click on the closebox of the system menu.

8.

Credits

Riqas2MQC converts PDF files to plain text thanks to Xpdf. The file PdfToText.exe is installed in the installation directory of the main programme. The Xpdf software and documentation are copyrighted 1996-2007 Glyph & Cog, LLC. Xpdf is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Email: derekn@foolabs.com WWW: http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/