Laboratory standards Committee

Goals of the Committee

To certify laboratories training residents in order to promote a high standard of laboratory quality practices, culture and documentation in organizations training residents for the ECVCP Specialty Examination.
To provide ongoing education about veterinary laboratory quality.
To provide information and advice to individuals or groups interested in or inquiring about laboratory quality issues.
To provide ongoing improvements and recommendations for laboratory quality education, application and assessment by the ECVCP.

Committee members:

Stefanie Klenner-Gastreich, Chair

Natali Bauer

Margarida Canelas Domingos

Emma Dewhurst

Kathleen Freeman

Ernst Leidinger

Josep Pastor

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where do I find guidance when I want to certify my laboratory as an ECVCP training laboratory?

Please have a look at our website and read our SOP about the Initial and Recertification Evaluation. If you still have questions please do not hesitate reaching out to the ECVCP secretariat who will forward your request to the LSC Chair. We are always happy setting up a video call with you and/or clarify questions via email. If you need guidance on how to write a Quality Plan for your laboratory, please check our LSC Quality Plan Guidance document.

My laboratory does not participate in an External Quality Assurance (EQA) program. Can I still apply as an ECVCP training laboratory?

Participation in an EQA program is required as it provides information about development of systematic error over time. We also consider human-based programs either international or regional once. Also other types of comparisons to a “trusted source” may be suitable. Follow-up information for cytology regarding patient-progress and/or histology following a cytological result is also suitable EQA.

My laboratory failed to evaluate the EQA results over some months. How shall I deal with that in the ECVCP application?

It is great that your laboratory participates in an EQA Program as this helps you evaluating bias of your various tests and instruments. No laboratory is perfect. If you detected problems in your EQA results or in the results evaluation, please try to explain the reasons for that and your corrective actions initiated.

Our laboratory’s SOPs are in our local language. Do I need to hand in translated SOPs?

Please remember that we are all doing this work on a honorary basis. In order to spare time for the LSC it would be helpful if you could hand in one SOP of each core area in English. Google translate, Microsoft office implemented translation features and /or DeepL are some options to quickly translate documents.

My laboratory does not have a Quality Plan, yet and I am unsure on how to write one. Do you have an example which you can provide?

Please have a look at our document LSC Quality Plan Guidance. The document contains some general information about how to write a Quality Plan and also includes an example. Please note, that the Quality Plan is not necessarily a long document but can be i.e. 2 pages short. If you have additional questions please contact the ECVCP secretariat who will forward your request to the LSC Chair.