Message from the NACB President
Comment on the Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines Standard Operating Procedure
Dear Colleagues,
One of the most distinguished accomplishments of NACB is our production of evidence-based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines which are used globally to define best practices in the laboratory. Important components that go into the generation of an LMPG include lack of potential conflicts of authors and complete transparency in the way in which the data is evaluated. Operating procedures for the generation of guidelines have been evolving over time and, to this aim, the NACB Board of directors decided several years ago to completely update our own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preparing, publishing and revising LMPG's. The AACC/NACB Evidenced Based Laboratory Medicine (EBLM) Committee chaired by Steve Kahn have worked diligently to incorporate all of the necessary elements that go into developing guidelines in today's environment into a new SOP that is available now for NACB fellows to comment on. This version (#7) of the new SOP will be posted for a period of 60 days on the NACB website and any Fellow of the Academy can make comments on the document. All comments will be addressed by the Board of Directors of NACB and by the EBLM Committee and appropriate changes will be incorporated into the version that will eventually be put forward for final AACC approval.
Whilst I'm on the topic of LMPG's I can update you on the two LMPG's that are currently under development. Committees have been formed to develop a Pain management LMPG and one to address the correct usage of hCG measurement. As Fellows of the Academy, the Board ask that you all consider topics that you would like to see developed either into a future LMPG or a White Paper. Typically, White Papers are of great value in the critical evaluation of upcoming topics that are not yet ready for guideline development but are highly likely to evolve into standard laboratory practice. Guidelines are for more mature subjects.
As you make your plans for the upcoming Annual Meeting in Houston, don't forget to book your place at the NACB Awards luncheon where we hope to provide something a little different this year. Look out also for the NACB-sponsored symposium on Coagulation to be held on Tuesday morning (symposium number 33102).
Michael J. Bennett PhD, FRCPath, DABCC, FACB
President NACB, 2013
Comment on the Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines Standard Operating Procedure
Composed of leading scientists, NACB is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of laboratory medicine. We do this in three ways: by advocating for scholarship through scientific research; by promoting scientific discovery, application, and integration through our educational programs; and by publishing Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines (LMPG), our signature program, which applies clinical biochemistry to medical diagnosis and therapy.
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