The Blood Proficiency Testing Scheme (B-PTS) is a form of External Quality Assessment (EQA) that uses inter-laboratory comparisons to determine the performance of Blood Establishments laboratories responsible for the testing of individual blood donations. This scheme supplements each laboratory's own internal quality control procedures by providing an external measure of their testing capabilities.

Participation in EQA programmes such as proficiency testing studies, has been recognised as an important factor in Quality Assurance. This principle is laid down in EU blood legislation (Directive 2002/98/EC and Directive 2005/62/EC), more recently in the Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) and the CoE’s Guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components. 

Participation in the scheme provides laboratories with an objective means to assess and demonstrate the reliability of their data. This helps to build mutual trust between European Blood Establishments, which is an important element of an effective common system for the testing of blood donations.Six B-PTS studies are organised each year.

The EDQM organises, co-ordinates and manages the scheme. The EDQM designs and organises the Proficiency Testing Scheme following the principles of "ISO/IEC 17043 Conformity Assessment - General Requirements for proficiency testing".

The B-PTS Advisory Group (B-PTS AG), who is composed of experts in the field, is supporting and advising the EDQM in several steps of the activity. The activity is run under the aegis of the European Committee (Partial Agreement) on Blood Transfusion (CD-P-TS).The activity is funded both by the Council of Europe/EDQM and the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe/EDQM.

Following registration, any European Blood Establishment (BE) laboratories of member countries and observers countries to the CD-P-TS in charge of the testing of individual blood donation can participate.

In 2022, an average of 55* laboratories participated in each B-PTS study, covering 27 countries from the Council of Europe and European Union. The 7 B-PTS studies carried out in 2022 were:

• B-PTS062HBV/HCV/HIV NAT
• B-PTS044 HEV NAT
• B-PTS063 Anti-HCV
• B-PTS064 HBsAg/Anti-HBc
• B-PTS065Anti-Treponema
• B-PTS066 Anti HIV/p24
• B-PTS067 ABO Rhesus, extended phenotyping and irregular antibodies

*The average number of participants does not take B-PTS044 HEV NAT into account.