|
There has been a significant increase in the use of
clinical laboratories in health services in recent past. Though all
disciplines of laboratory sciences are contributing in mitigating the misery
and mortality of human beings, clinical chemistry has been in use for the
longest period and is accessible even in the peripheral areas of most of the
developing countries. This has been possible because most of the tests
conducted to assess the biochemical status of the human body are simple, easy
to perform, rapid, economical and do not demand a sophisticated
infrastructure. However, in the absence of uniformity in the performance of
these tests, the results generated would not meet the desired purpose and
might have an adverse impact on the diagnosis as well as treatment. To
obviate this problem, and to ensure quality of results, Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs) play a vital role. Every laboratory has to develop SOPs and
use them in-house.
Quality assurance in health laboratories has been one of
the important areas for WHO. As a part of technical
support to Member Countries, WHO has undertaken to develop model guidelines
for the development of SOPs in various specialties of health laboratory services. The Guidelines for Development of Standard
Operating Procedures in Clinical Chemistry is an effort in this direction.
These guidelines are intended for various laboratories that are performing
tests for clinical chemistry, to enable them to develop appropriate SOPs that
suit their requirements and are in consonance with their mandate as well as
infrastructure.
I am sure the readers will find these useful in
strengthening the quality assurance system of their laboratories and thus
improving the quality of health care in their setting.
Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei
Regional Director
|
