The implementation and effects of a clinical laboratory accreditation program in Korea from 1999 to 2006.
BACKGROUND
The Korean Laboratory Accreditation Program (KLAP) by the Korean Society of Laboratory Medicine (KSLM) was started in 1999. We summarized history and achievement of KLAP for the last 8 yr.


METHODS
We analyzed 8 yr data (1999-2006) of historical events, trends of participating laboratories, and scores according to the impact of the question to the outcome of the tests. Inspection check lists are for 'laboratory management', 'clinical chemistry', 'diagnostic hematology', 'clinical microbiology', 'diagnostic immunology', 'transfusion medicine', 'cytogenetics', 'molecular genetics', 'histocompatibility', 'flow cytometry', and 'comprehensive laboratory test verification report'. The laboratories with score 90 or higher got 2-yr certificate and laboratories with score between 60 and 89 got 1-yr certificate. The laboratories with score below 60 failed accreditation.


RESULTS
The number of accredited laboratories was 2.4 times higher in 2006 (n=227) than in 1999 (n=96). Inspection check lists have been revised 5 times till 2006. The average accreditation rate was 99.6% during these periods and the 2-yr accreditation rate was 32.4% in 2000, 45.6% in 2001, 53.3% in 2002, 47.3% in 2003, 68.5% in 2004, 37.7% in 2005, and 47.7% in 2006. Number of participants in inspector training workshops increased from 89 in 2000 to 766 in 2006.


CONCLUSIONS
The KLAP has been in place successfully and stabilized over the past 8 yr. It seemed to enhance the laboratory quality. Efforts for improvement of quality control and inspector training workshops appeared to be in the main contributing factors.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University, Seoul, Korea.
Bo-Moon
BM
Shin
Seok-Lae
SL
Chae
Won-Ki
WK
Min
Wee Gyo
WG
Lee
Young Ae
YA
Lim
Do Hoon
DH
Lee
Hwan Sub
HS
Lim
You Kyoung
YK
Lee
Young-Joo
YJ
Cha
Soon-Pal
SP
Suh
Kap No
KN
Lee
Yun Sik
YS
Kwak
D000068:Accreditation; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D007723:Korea; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation