The LEAP checklist for Laboratory Evaluation and Analytical Performance Characteristics reporting of clinical measurement procedures

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 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.

Keywords:

• Emerging technology (ies)
• method verification
• method validation

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the helpful comments provided by the corresponding members of the IFCC WG-MEP that have been incorporated into the published version of the checklist.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 This article is simultaneously published in multiple journals in the laboratory medicine field, to support broad adoption of the LEAP checklist.