ISO 15189 accreditation: embracing the change

The careful dispensing of precise volumes of liquid is an essential daily component of many scientists’ lives, as is the measurement of pH, the determination of weight and many other routine procedures. In laboratories of practically every discipline, almost all this work is carried out using conventional handheld pipettes, pH meters, laboratory balances and other commonplace pieces of equipment.
 Despite their sleek and simple lines, each hides a complex mechanism that achieves accuracy and precision even in the hands of novices. Just take a look around your own laboratory and count up these ‘workhorse’ pieces of equipment – items so familiar they don’t usually catch our attention. However, all sophisticated mechanisms need to be maintained with care, and one of the problems facing these pieces of laboratory equipment is that, by hiding their complexity so successfully, we take for granted the results they produce.

Accreditation to an international standard
Medical laboratory services and the UK’s many pathology laboratories are essential in the smooth running of the NHS. Through their results validation, interpretation and reporting they are vital in the diagnosis and assessment of the health of patients.

In the same way that we may too easily overlook the servicing and maintenance requirements of everyday instrumentation, it is possible to take for granted the systems and protocols behind this relentless production of test results. The recent publication of EN ISO 15189 gives medical laboratories a new opportunity to re-assess their working practices and demonstrate the quality of their services through accreditation.