A lot of harmonization work still has to be done and clear branch specific requirements need to be agreed upon. Practicability and validity of external peer review schemes may also need further evaluation and improvement to reach the goals of health care systems in the future.

No abstract

Scientific progress in chemical, medical, criminal investigation and in other chemical and physical laboratories demands an increasing number of complex testing procedures. Therefore, adequate quality control processes are required to guarantee the reliability of the test results. For the quality assurance in testing laboratories, inspection and certification bodies, the worldwide accreditation system establishes reliable and internationally recognised standards.