The Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP) has been accepted as a signatory to the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for the accreditation standards ISO 15189. The College is the second accreditation body in Canada to receive this recognition. This is a significant achievement for the DAP as it means the DAP laboratory medicine program is now recognized as an accrediting body that can certify laboratory services to the international standard ISO 15189:2012.
Laboratories accredited to the DAP ISO 15189 accreditation scheme produce test results that meet worldwide requirements and expectations. These laboratories will have better access to referral lab opportunities and the recognition to facilitate participation in international studies and patient care activities. For patients, this means tests performed in ISO accredited laboratories, and transparency of diagnostic facility performance, will meet or exceed international best practices.
This was a multi-year effort undertaken by the DAP that started in 2013 when the need for ISO 15189 accreditation in our province’s laboratory services was identified in a BC Laboratory Reform Committee report. From there, the DAP developed and strengthened the laboratory medicine program’s full quality management system, revised standards, documentation and processes, and conducted mock assessments in order to meet ISO 15189 requirements. All of this culminated in APAC peer assessments that took place virtually over 15 months during the pandemic.
This is a significant milestone for the College that will provide patients even more confidence in the work of the DAP and the laboratories it accredits.