CLSI Blog Articles

Read the latest articles about CLSI and laboratory standards in the official CLSI Blog. Browse our most recent blog articles below.

American Diabetes Month and Point-of-Care Testing

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems if uncontrolled. More than 30 million Americans have diabetes; that’s one in 10. Another 84 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The importance of Viral Load Testing in treating HIV

Viral load testing measures the amount of HIV in a patient’s blood sample. Results are reported as the number of copies of HIV RNA per milliliter of blood. Examples of viral load tests include quantitative branched DNA (bDNA), reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and qualitative transcription-mediated amplification. Viral load tests are used to diagnose acute HIV infection, give health care providers treatment guidance, and monitor patient response to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

CLSI Celebrates World Antibiotic Awareness Week

Each November, the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) with the aim to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practices among the general public, health care workers, and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Prevention of Occupationally Acquired Infections in the Lab

Medical laboratory workers who handle tissue, body fluids, and other specimens from infected patients are at high risk for work-related exposures to infectious material. For some of these organisms, laboratory workers are at greater risk of acquiring such infections than the general population. Laboratory-acquired infections may occur through inhalation; ingestion; direct contact of the eye, nose, mouth, or skin; or parenteral inoculation.

Improving Patient Safety Through Risk Management

From October 21-27 we celebrate Healthcare Quality Week (HQW), brought to you by the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ). Implementing a quality management system (QMS) in the laboratory is one important way to improve health care quality. A QMS in the lab can help ensure patient safety and risk management principle application, as well as help prepare a lab for accreditation.

CLSI Celebrates Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month

Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month is an international awareness-building campaign to commemorate the progress that has been made toward making patient-centered care a reality and to build momentum for further progress. This October will mark the ninth annual Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month, and health care organizations and patient groups around the world will be participating in the campaign.

CLSI Celebrates World Standards Day

The US Celebration of World Standards Day, an event that recognizes the critical role of various stakeholders across the standards community, including business leaders, industry, academia, and government, will be held in Washington, DC on October 18, 2018.

Spotlight on CLSI’s Partnerships Activities in Central Asia

CLSI’s Global Health Partnerships (GHP) presented a PEPFAR-funded workshop series entitled Molecular Practical Trainings in PCR Methodology for HIV Testing in the Central Asia Region between March to September 2018. A workshop was held in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Each workshop was co-led by CLSI’s Melissa Meeks, GHP’s Director of Education and Development and subject matter expert Catherine Gebhart, PhD, MB(ASCP)CM, D(ABHI), Technical Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with the assistance of local Russian-English interpreters. Each training included theoretical and hands-on components.

Accurate Diagnosis of HIV Infection

Accurate diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is essential for limiting the spread of infection and for appropriate treatment. A variety of HIV lab tests have been developed and are used by laboratorians and clinicians to aid with diagnosis.

The Importance of Newborn Screening Standards

Newborn blood spot screening is the practice of testing newborns for certain harmful or potentially fatal diseases that aren't apparent at birth. A simple blood test can diagnose these rare conditions. Although most newborns test negative, early diagnosis in the form of newborn blood spot screening and timely treatment can sometimes mean the difference between lifelong impairment or even death and healthy development. Two of many diseases that newborns are screened for are Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) and Pompe Disease.