What does ALTM and RTAC stand for?

These terms are used in our statistical analysis reports.

1. ALTM: All laboratory trimmed means (ALTM) – the top 10% and bottom 10% data points are excluded in an attempt to remove outliers that can distort the calculation of the mean. This is a fairly standard way of calculating the mean for EQA schemes (Healy, 1979) but requires a large number of participants to be valid.
2. RTAC: These represent the specialist laboratories that are accredited by RTAC (Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee), the accrediting committee of the Fertility Society of Australia. The use of RTAC accreditation allows us to identify the specialist laboratories without having to make a judgement about their competence. The separation of these results will allow general pathology laboratories to compare themselves with specialist laboratories.