Proficiency testing as tool for ISO 17025 implementation in National Public Health Laboratory: a mean for improving efficiency

Public Health Laboratories (PHL) as part of Public Health Services are invo lved in law enforcement and ensuring food and water quality. The laboratori es had to go through an organizational and monetary change imposed by the g rowing and changing needs of the state of Israel. The laboratories had to b ecome more modern and to implement new and more sophisticated testing metho ds. Another requirement was to perform a steadily increasing number of test s and to be more flexible towards customers' demands. Yet, the budget was n ot changed accordingly, as the Public Service to which the laboratories bel ong to do not respond to changing needs. Management realization was that th e accreditation process could be used as a tool to achieve organizational a nd cultural change. Understanding and transformation were required througho ut the organization, including management. Proficiency testing is performed for all testing methods in all areas even for non-accredited tests such as clinical tests. Proficiency testing was used as a tool for organizational culture change. It is a great index with game elements, that gives employee s and managers the possibility for comparison, fixing problems and correcti ve action. The demands of ISO 17025 made it necessary to change peoples' at titudes and Views on both professional and communication levels. Laboratory quality consists now on the four main principles, described in the 5M&E mo del which is typical to small organizations and which ensures a constantly improving system: "Policy statement", "Machine", "Material", "Measurement", "Method", "Manpower", and "Environment" targeted to achieve "Quality upgra de". Slowly we succeeded in providing better and more reliable services and have increased our income on what would hopefully become our way to Financ ial independence. We hope this process would provide the Ministry of Health with a better chance to public health using the same financial sources.