Editors' Column
NCCLS Continues Standards Efforts The National Committee for Clini cal Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) is a voluntary nonprofit organization founded in 1968 to foster better com munication among clinical profession als, government, and the manufactur ers of clinical laboratory products. For the past 13 years NCCLS has provid ed a forum through which these parties have worked together to devel op consensus agreements for volun tary standards. These voluntary stan dards often eliminate the need for more rigid government-imposed man datory standards. As stated in the "NCCLS 1980 Annual Report," "Reg ulatory or mandatory standards . . . tend to represent the lowest common denominator consistent with satisfac tory performance. The consensus pro cess provides the clinical laboratory community with a unique, very acces sible means of providing input to these standards or guidelines." The library of standards developed by NCCLS includes titles such as: • "Calibration Materials in Clinical Chemistry," • "Preparation of Manuals for Instal lation, Operation, and Repair of Labo ratory Instruments," • "Standard for Relating Spectropho tometer Performance Characteristics to Analytical Goals," and • "Guidelines for Developing and Using Chromatographic Methods for Drug Monitoring and Toxicology." At any one time a number of projects that will result in new clinical laboratory standards are under way. Current projects include guidelines for volumetric measurements, ion-selec tive electrodes, radioisotopic measure ments, power line problems, chroma tographic methods, and headspace analysis. As projects such as these progress through the consensus pro cess they are subject to constant criti cal review and revision. Once pub lished, NCCLS standards are avail able to clinical laboratories to assist them in conforming to accepted prac tice. On NCCLS's active membership list are professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, and the Association of Of ficial Analytical Chemists, and such
government agencies as the National Bureau of Standards and the National Institutes of Health. In addition, over 90 industrial companies are active members. Active members participate through their delegates in the ballot ing on NCCLS standards and the gov erning of the organization. In addi tion, corresponding membership, less expensive than active membership, is available to U.S. hospitals, clinics, medical organizations, and local pro fessional associations, and to interna tional associations and agencies. During 1980, NCCLS's National Reference System in Clinical Chemis try issued two priority lists of great importance to the clinical community. The first was a status report of current
work on certified reference materials, definitive methods, and reference methods for 25 analytes frequently de termined in the clinical laboratory, such as glucose, bilirubin, and choles terol. The second list names 25 "prob lem analytes," for which no reference materials or reference methods are available. One of NCCLS's 1981 objec tives is to develop detailed method ological principles for these analytes, which include acid phosphatase and the catecholamines. For further information about NCCLS programs or publications, contact NCCLS at 771 E. Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pa. 19085, 215525-2435. Stuart A. Borman
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CIRCLE 201 ON READER SERVICE CARD ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 53, NO. 4, APRIL 1981 · 525 A
