US committee for laboratory automation standards set up:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A committee of government and industry representatives, together with academic and clinical scientists, has been formed in the US to examine the issues associated with clinical laboratory automation and sample handling, and to set standards for the use of these technologies. The Clinical Testing Automation Standards Steering Committee plans to draft standards for: automated specimen handling; specimen containers and specimen carriers; communication between instrument and computer; mechanical interface; error and exception handling; and system status/performance information. An update on standardisation activities will be presented at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's annual meeting in Anaheim, CA, in July.