Abstract

The evaluation of use a specific fixed standard deviation for the proficiency assessment (σpt) in three Chilean microbiological proficiency testing scheme was discussed in this study. The σpt proposed in the standards (0.25 and 0.35) was not appropriate for these microbiological schemes. Nevertheless, a better fixed σpt value was established for that purpose, considering the characteristic of the round in terms of the matrix, included microorganisms (concentration and strain), and target group of participation. © 2025