How to Prepare for a CAP Inspection: A Lab Manager's Checklist
A week-by-week CAP inspection checklist for clinical labs — documentation, competency, calibration, EQA, and the evidence auditors open first.
CalibDue Blog
Practical articles for lab managers and QA officers running accredited clinical laboratories — ISO 15189, CAP, CLIA, UKAS. Checklists, explainers, and battle-tested process advice from engineers who've built the platform.
A week-by-week CAP inspection checklist for clinical labs — documentation, competency, calibration, EQA, and the evidence auditors open first.
A copy-ready calibration log template with every field auditors expect — plus the three signs your lab has outgrown the spreadsheet version.
Every section of a calibration certificate explained — traceability, as-found data, uncertainty — plus the five defects that make assessors reject one.
A corrective action playbook for EQA / PT failures — root cause, the CA workflow, effectiveness verification, and how to avoid repeat failures.
A plain-English guide to CLIA's six competency assessment elements — what each requires, who may assess, the timing rules, and how to evidence them.
A practical method for setting calibration intervals — manufacturer baselines, risk-based adjustment, multi-track schedules, and audit questions to expect.
What z-scores in EQA reports actually mean, the thresholds that matter, SDI, shift vs drift patterns, and when a 'pass' should still worry you.
What real document control looks like in a clinical lab — versioning, approval, staff acknowledgment, and the shared-drive failure modes auditors find.
How to build a lab preventive maintenance program auditors trust — checklists, scheduling, evidence, follow-ups, and the gaps inspectors find first.
Why spreadsheet-and-shared-drive lab compliance drifts into deficiencies — and what a system designed for the job does differently.
How to build a lab competency program that holds up under CAP, CLIA, ISO 15189, and UKAS inspection — methods, cadence, evidence, and the matrix.
How CAP and CLIA differ on proficiency testing — consecutive-failure rules, review windows, PT integrity attestation, and the practical implications for labs.
ISO 15189 calibration requirements for medical labs — traceability, intervals, evidence, and the specific gaps auditors find most often during assessment.
Calibration, training, EQA, maintenance, and documents — one platform, one readiness score. The private beta is open — get set up in days, not months.
ISO 15189 · CAP · CLIA · UKAS — Built for accredited labs.