Hands-on experience: Accreditation of pathology laboratories according to ISO 15189

Abstract

Accreditation is a procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that an organization is competent to carry out specific tasks according to certain standards. Accreditation of pathology laboratories according to ISO 15189 is now becoming more and more a matter of course in continental Europe. This review describes some practical experience aspects with our own pathology laboratory accreditation according to ISO 15189, and outlines the advantages, addresses critical points, and discusses certain caveats of this process.