CARO News

CARO is Now ISO15189 Accredited for Microbiology!

Posted on September 28, 2022

We are thrilled to announce that CARO’s Burnaby Laboratory has successfully met the accreditation requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP) standards and has been granted the internationally recognized DAP ISO15189 accreditation award.  This award is applicable to the scope of accreditation listed on the DAP website (here), including microbiological testing for viral identification by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

It has been a year and a half since our first post about our journey to achieving Medical Laboratory Accreditation (read more here).  During this time, we have worked with the DAP to demonstrate compliance with the rigorous requirements of the internationally recognized ISO15189 standards for medical laboratories.  These standards are similar in many ways to the ISO17025 standards that are commonly referenced by our environmental, food and cannabis clients, with a focus on diagnostic medical testing.  By retaining both ISO17025 and ISO15189, CARO demonstrates that our quality and competency as a laboratory are not limited by industry or geography, and that we are truly charismatic scientists, driven to make the world safer and healthier.

What is a Medical Laboratory?

According to the ISO15189 standards, a “medical laboratory” is a diagnostic medical laboratory, which performs examinations on human samples of biological, microbiological, immunological, chemical, immunohaematological, haematological, biophyiscal, cytological, or pathological nature for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease or assessment of health.  Under the ISO15189 standards, laboratories are assessed by an independent party against analytical, pre-analytical, and post-analytical factors relating to personnel, equipment/supplies/reagents, and quality assurance.

If you would like to learn more about CARO’s journey to accreditation or are looking for a reliable analytical partner for your next testing program, please contact us – our team of charismatic scientists is always ready to help!