NCCLS: Working to Achieve Globalization in Health Care

A global economy is developing at a rapid pace due to expanding access to communication, technology, and transportation. Goods and services are being sold globally, and information is easily exchanged. Global healthcare systems are critical to the global economy, and harmonized healthcare standards are critical to global health care.

For more than 36 years, NCCLS has developed its global presence in the healthcare community. NCCLS membership is open to any organization regardless of geographic location.  Of more than 2000 member organizations, 23% are from outside the United States.  NCCLS promotes mutually beneficial national and international organizational partnerships for standards development and use. NCCLS's effective consensus process is increasingly global. Today, for example, of all standards-developing committees, 50% have representation from outside the United States. In addition, NCCLS documents are purchased and/or used in over 85 countries from around the globe.

In its latest effort to increase access to NCCLS standards and guidelines around the world, NCCLS has formed a Task Group on Resource-Limited Laboratories. The task group has taken the first steps to reach its defined goals which include: simplifying relevant NCCLS documents; developing basic work instruction documents; developing educational programs to accompany the documents; and partnering with organizations and donor agencies.

In addition to its global presence, NCCLS has led the way in championing the cause of global harmonization in medical testing and healthcare standards. The importance of voluntary consensus documents is ever increasing. By developing globally recognized documents, NCCLS addresses the need to reduce regional and national variations in regulatory requirements; promote uniformity of testing practices; reduce trade barriers; facilitate technology transfer; and ultimately, reduce costs. Along with developing globally applicable standards for health care, NCCLS serves as the Secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 212 (ISO/TC 212). In this role, NCCLS is responsible for harmonizing ISO concepts within healthcare services at the international level. As a service to its members and volunteers, NCCLS is committed to a long-term policy of developing harmonized global consensus standards that define best laboratory practices and quality patient care.

In an effort to reach out to the healthcare community, NCCLS has taken measurable steps towards harmonization by developing educational resources and implementing programs for its volunteers.

The NCCLS Harmonized Terminology Database, developed by the NCCLS Executive Offices’ staff, is a relational database that provides guidance on global terms for the clinical laboratory to NCCLS volunteers. NCCLS is also reaching out to scientific authors and editors of professional journals. In NCCLS’s most recent efforts to promote the understanding and use of the NCCLS Harmonized Terminology Database, the Executive Offices’ staff has secured a place on the conference program at the Council of Science Editors, Sunday, 16 May 2004 in Vancouver, BC. The conference session, presented by Gary L. Myers, PhD, FACB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will explain the harmonization process and promote the use of the NCCLS Harmonized Terminology Database.

It has been a high priority that through the document development process, the language is harmonized. Each subcommittee responsible for an NCCLS project designates a representative to identify harmonization issues during document development.  In addition, a formal harmonization task group comprised of a member from the appropriate area committee, staff, and other interested volunteers review all documents for harmonization issues. “We've made a lot of progress with our existing and new documents.” says Patrice E. Polgar, Assistant Standards Administrator, NCCLS. She adds, “The [NCCLS Harmonized Terminology] database has helped our volunteers understand the importance of harmonization and to identify and address terminology issues.”  

NCCLS is committed to a long-term policy to harmonize its documents, and this policy has become one of its overriding organizational goals. This initiative does not come without challenges, however, which include overcoming differences in regional usage of terms, metrological conventions, and professional practices. NCCLS acknowledges that implementation of this policy will take time as the healthcare community recognizes and understands differences in nomenclature while it takes the necessary steps to achieve worldwide harmonization.

For more information about NCCLS's harmonization program, visit http://www.nccls.org or call the NCCLS Executive Offices +610.688.0100. For more information about the Council of Science Editors conference program, visit http://www.councilscienceeditors.org

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