ISO certificate

ISO 15189 Accreditation (Medical Laboratories)

A practical guide to quality and competence for medical labs — built around traceability, validation, and patient-impact evidence.

What ISO 15189 is (in operational terms)

ISO 15189 is an accreditation standard for medical laboratories combining quality management with technical competence. Audits focus on the end-to-end lab path: pre‑examination controls, method validation, result integrity, and traceability to ensure reliable patient-impact decisions.

Typical scope choices that affect the audit

  • Departments/tests in scope (chemistry, hematology, microbiology, pathology, etc.).
  • Sample collection responsibilities and pre‑examination controls.
  • Reference ranges, critical values, and reporting rules.
  • External quality assessment and proficiency testing participation.

Key ISO 15189 expectations

  • Method validation: evidence that methods are fit for purpose.
  • Quality control: internal QC, EQA/PT, and trend analysis.
  • Traceability: sample identification, chain, and result integrity.
  • Competence: training, authorization, and ongoing evaluation.
  • Nonconformities: incidents, corrective actions, and effectiveness checks.

Next step

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