Implementation of standardization in clinical practice: not always an easy task

As soon as a new reference measurement system is adopted, clinical validation of correctly calibrated commercial methods should take place. Tracing back the calibration of routine assays to a reference system can actually modify the relation of analyte results to existing reference intervals and decision limits and this may invalidate some of the clinical decision-making criteria currently used. To maintain the accumulated clinical experience, the quantitative relationship to the previous calibration system should be established and, if necessary, the clinical decision-making criteria should be adjusted accordingly. The implementation of standardization should take place in a concerted action of laboratorians, manufacturers, external quality assessment scheme organizers and clinicians. Dedicated meetings with manufacturers should be organized to discuss the process of assay recalibration and studies should be performed to obtain convincing evidence that the standardization works, improving result comparability. Another important issue relates to the surveillance of the performance of standardized assays through the organization of appropriate analytical internal and external quality controls. Last but not least, uncertainty of measurement that fits for this purpose must be defined across the entire traceability chain, starting with the available reference materials, extending through the manufacturers and their processes for assignment of calibrator values and ultimately to the final result reported to clinicians by laboratories.