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Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology |
Quality Assurance and Standards
Introduction
The American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Committee for Quality Assurance and Standards (QAS Committee) was initiated in 1996 by Dr. Bernie Feldman, then-President of the ASVCP. The QAS Committee was formed in response to concerns by ASVCP members about quality assurance and quality control in laboratories doing veterinary testing, a topic of ongoing importance that had been partially addressed by other committees in the past. The current committee was charged: "To encourage and promote the establishment of standards for the performance of laboratory procedures" on veterinary samples.
Quality assurance and standards for veterinary laboratories is a broad topic and a large assignment. As an organization of clinical pathologists and individuals interested in clinical pathology, however, we are in a unique position to provide leadership and direction in clinical laboratory diagnostics in veterinary medicine. Although government regulation controls many aspects of human clinical laboratories, the lack of such regulation for veterinary laboratories requires that we demonstrate a commitment to self-monitoring and regulation from within the discipline. By providing leadership in this area, we hope to raise the quality of veterinary laboratory medicine, and thereby improve the health of veterinary patients.
These guidelines provide minimum standards for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing. They are the combined efforts of many volunteer committee members, and have been reviewed extensively by the ASVCP Executive Board. We anticipate that this document will be dynamic and expansive, with regular revisions and the addition of guidelines for other areas of laboratory testing in the future. We are grateful to all those who have unselfishly given their time and effort in creating these guidelines, and who carry this effort forward.
Dr. Kathleen P. Freeman and Dr. Laurie O’Rourke, Co-chairs, QAS Committee
Past and Present Members of the QAS Committee (alphabetical listing)
Dr. Jim Bellamy
Pat Benson
Karen Curd
Dr. Jean Dodds
Dr. Ellen Evans
Dr. Susan Friend
Sue Gallagher
Karen Getzy
Julie Gruenwaldt
Dr. James Klaassen
Dr. Sally Lester
Dr. Peter Lording
Dr. John H. Lumsden
Mike Mahoney
Dr. Larry McGill
Dr. Joanne Messick
Pam Miller
Dr. Scott Moroff
Dr. Fran Moore
Loretta Moore
Dr. Karen Russell
Dr. Carolyn Sink
Dr. Linda Vap
Dr. Gail Walter
Dr. Ellen Ziemer