Introduction to standardization of laboratory results

A fundamental goal of laboratory medicine is that laboratory results will be comparable or standardized and be independent of the laboratory where the testing was performed. Routine measurement procedures that are traceable to the same system of reference standards should produce numerical values for clinical samples that are comparable regardless of time, place, or laboratory generating the result. Standardization of laboratory measurements is key to providing accurate and reliable results from investigational studies and for optimal patient care. Published by Elsevier Inc.