> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.clinikehr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run quality control

> Record daily control values, read the Levey-Jennings chart, and act on the Westgard verdict the lab gets back the moment a run is saved.

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['lims']} plans="Professional Lab and above" roles="Anyone granted “Review QC runs”. QC Officer holds it by default." />

Record the day's control values against each material and ClinikEHR evaluates every run for you. The page says so in its own subtitle: "Record daily controls per material; every run is evaluated against Westgard rules (1-3s, 2-2s, R-4s, 4-1s, 10x — 1-2s warns) the moment it's saved." You enter a number; you get back a verdict and a charted point.

<Path steps={['Sidebar', 'Quality Control']} />

<TaskHeader before="A control material, with the target mean and SD from its package insert or your lot validation" time="Under a minute per run" after="A charted run carrying an in-control, warning or rejection verdict" />

## Set up a control material

Do this once per analyte and level. Until you do, the page shows **No control materials yet. Add your first control (analyte, target mean and SD from the package insert or your lot validation) to start charting.**

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the dialog">
    Select **Add control material**. It opens explaining where the numbers come from: "Target mean and SD come from the package insert or your lot validation — Westgard rules evaluate every run against them."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Identify the control">
    Enter an **Analyte code** (for example `GLU`), a **Material name** (for example `Glucose Control`), and pick the **Level** — **Level 1 (normal)**, **Level 2 (abnormal)** or **Level 3 (high)**. Add the **Lot number** so the picker can tell two lots of the same control apart.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the targets">
    Fill **Target mean**, **Target SD** and **Unit** (for example `mg/dL`). The SD must be greater than zero — it is what every z-score is measured in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Select **Add material**. The toast reads **Control material added** and the control joins the picker as `{code} — {name} (lot {lot})`, with its target and SD shown beside it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Record a run

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the control">
    Pick it from **Select control material**. The **Levey-Jennings** chart redraws for that material, with reference bands at the mean and ±1, ±2 and ±3 SD, and the last 30 runs plotted in sequence.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the measured value">
    Type the reading into **Measured value**. The field's placeholder is the target mean, so a value far from it is visible before you save.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name who ran it">
    Enter the person in **Technician**. It is the column a reviewer reads first when a run fails.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record it">
    Select **Record run**. ClinikEHR evaluates the run against every Westgard rule as it saves and returns one of three verdicts — you do not apply the rules yourself.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The three verdicts

| You see                                                                                     | Means                                               |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **In control (z \{z})**                                                                     | Nothing tripped. Report patients.                   |
| **1-2s warning (z \{z}) — inspect before accepting the run.**                               | A warning, not a rejection. Look before you accept. |
| **Run REJECTED — \{violations} (z \{z}). Stop and troubleshoot before reporting patients.** | One or more rejection rules tripped.                |

The run then appears in the table below the chart under **When**, **Value**, **z**, **Verdict**, **Rules** and **Technician**, badged **In control**, **Warning (1-2s)** or **Rejection**.

<Warning>
  A rejected run means **stop**. Do not report patient results on that analyte until you have found and fixed the cause and a fresh control passes. The verdict names the rules it broke so you know what you are looking for.
</Warning>

## What each rule is telling you

ClinikEHR decides which of these applies. This is what it has spotted.

| Rule     | One control run in plain terms                          | Usually                                                    |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **1-2s** | One value fell between 2 and 3 SD from the mean.        | A warning to inspect, nothing more                         |
| **1-3s** | One value fell beyond 3 SD.                             | Random error — a bubble, a bad pipette, a mis-made control |
| **2-2s** | Two runs in a row fell beyond the same 2 SD limit.      | Systematic error — calibration or reagent                  |
| **R-4s** | Two consecutive runs sat on opposite sides, 4 SD apart. | Imprecision — the method has got noisy                     |
| **4-1s** | Four runs in a row fell beyond the same 1 SD limit.     | A shift — something changed and stayed changed             |
| **10x**  | Ten runs in a row sat on the same side of the mean.     | Drift or bias — often a new reagent or calibrator lot      |

## Check it worked

* The toast names the verdict and the z-score.
* A new point appears on the **Levey-Jennings** chart, coloured for its verdict, with its value and any violated rules on hover.
* The run heads the table below the chart with its **Verdict** badge and the technician's name.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The page shows a locked card instead of the chart">
    You are on Starter Lab. The card reads **QC management is a Professional feature — Daily controls with Levey-Jennings charts and automatic Westgard flagging. Included from the Professional Lab plan.** See [Change your plan](/platform/plans/change-plan).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The material would not save">
    The toast reads **Analyte, name, target mean and a positive SD are required**. An SD of zero or blank is the usual cause — take it from the package insert or from your own lot validation, never leave it at nothing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Every run comes back rejected on a new lot">
    The targets belong to the old lot. Add the new lot as its own control material with its own mean and SD rather than charting it against the previous one. New reagent lots are also quarantined until validated — see [Reagents and consumables](/lims/inventory/reagents).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The chart says there are no runs">
    It reads **No runs recorded yet for this control — record the first run below.** The material exists but has no history; record a run and the first point appears.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I can open QC but cannot fix anything on the bench">
    That is deliberate. The QC role is oversight — it reviews control runs, verified results and turnaround, and stays read-only on patient records. Entering and authorising results are separate grants — see [Enter and verify results](/lims/lab/results) and [Permissions](/platform/team/permissions).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Quality Control is not in the sidebar at all">
    Quality control management is still rolling out and reaches labs progressively on the Professional Lab plan. If your plan includes it and the entry is absent, [contact support](/platform/help/contact-support).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck topic="quality control" />