Experts: Laboratory Errors can Cause Patients’ Death

Medical and Laboratory Experts at the 6th edition of the ISN Quality Assurance Summit, recently held in Lagos state, with the theme, ‘Demystifying ISO 15189’, have stressed the need for medical laboratory practitioners to master the latest International Standards Organization (ISO 15189) to a 100 per cent perfection as any error in their line of duty or report was capable of killing a patient.

According to them, achieving a 99 per cent level of quality assurance meant accepting a one per cent error rate; a situation they said was unacceptable in the medical laboratory practice.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of ISN Group, Mr Ben Ofungwu urged all Laboratory Scientists to strive to ensure the highest standards of quality assurance in medical laboratories across the country, lamenting that, it is embarrassing when laboratory results from Nigerian laboratories are viewed with scepticism outside the country.

“In some cases, the scepticism is justified, hence, the need for continuous awareness in quality control to address the challenge. I am pleased with the level of interest shown by all.”

Ofungwu lamented the challenges of quality control in Nigeria labs, where results from different outlets on the same specimen would show divergent results.

“While those who can afford to submit specimens to two or more laboratories to be sure of the diagnostic results that they can work with do so, not all Nigerians can afford it.”

He said ISN was aiming at Nigerian Laboratories joining the recognised status of all reputable laboratories all over the world, adding that, the summit was organised to bring the Director General of Nigeria National Accreditation System (NINAS), Mr Celestine Okanya, to help demystify the ISO 15189 which is the gold standard that all diagnostic laboratories should aim at.

In his address, NINAS DG, Okanya, stressed on the need for laboratories to aim for accreditation to improve the quality of their results.

He explained that laboratory quality assurance was all-encompassing as it involves a range of activities that enable laboratories to achieve and maintain high levels of accuracy and proficiency while providing the best services to the patient and physicians.

He further warned Nigerians to be wary of some laboratories in the country as not all that are opened have the competency to carry out tests and produce accurate results.