Klinisk Biokemi i Norden Nr 3, vol. 28, 2016 - page 8

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Klinisk Biokemi i Norden · 3 2016
Preanalytical Working Group
of the Nordic countries
Mads Nybo
Overlæge, ph.d.
Afdeling for Klinisk Biokemi og Farmakologi
Odense Universitetshospital
The idea of forming a Nordic sci-
entific working group on preana-
lytical issues was inspired by our
participation in a recently formed
EFLMWorking Group on Preana-
lytics (WG-PRE). The EFLMWG-
PRE has successfully promoted
preanalytical issues by arranging
specific preanalytical conferences and publishing a
number of scientific papers on the subject.
We therefore applied the NFKK foundation for
support in order to establish a Nordic working group
– and this was granted autumn 2014. All Nordic
National societies were asked to appoint a member
to the working group, and the result was the follo-
wing group:
Gudmundur Sigthorsson,
Landspitali, Reykjavik,
Iceland
Gunn Kristensen,
Head of the Norwegian Clinical
Chemistry EQA program (NKK), Bergen, Norway
Jonna Pelanti,
Head of EQA, Labquality Oy, Hel-
sinki, Finland
Kjell Grankvist,
Department of Medical Biosciences,
Umeå University, Sweden
Mads Nybo,
Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry and
Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark
The working group (WG) held a constitutional mee-
ting in March 2015 in Porto during the 3
rd
EFLM-BD
European Conference on Preanalytical Phase, and the
following terms-of-reference were established:
1. To promote the importance of the quality of the
preanalytical phase of laboratory medicine in the
Nordic countries
2. To conduct surveys using validated questionn-
aires and to conduct studies using quality indi-
cators/instruments with the aim to assess the
current preanalytical practices
3. To define the best practices and provide recom-
mendations for critical activities in the preana-
lytical phase
4. To organize meetings and to promote e-learning
or training courses on preanalytical phase issues.
At the constitutional meeting, a number of already
ongoing Nordic projects were discussed (e.g. Esta-
blishment of a database on sample stability (Norway),
Use of internal and external preanalytical QC systems
(Finland and Norway), and Evaluation and promotion
of e-learning activities through web-based education
(Sweden)), and also, ideas for more specific future
projects were outlined. Due to logistic challenges the
next WG meeting was not held until February 2016
in Stockholm, but here are some of the projects that
the WG agreed upon pursuing:
1. A preanalytical session at the forthcoming
NFKK Congress in Odense, Denmark
Has been arranged June 15
th
, 10.30-12.30; please
see the Congress program for details.
2. A harmonized fasting definition
This includes a description of the present situa-
tion in the Nordic countries and the evidence
behind the use of fasting in relation to blood
sampling.
3. Sampling auditing
The goal is an opinion paper on the rationale for
a standardized, continuous quality control of
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