Today, April 7th, the World Health Organization celebrates World Health Day, an annual global event dedicated to raising awareness about the significance of individuals’ health and well-being.

On International Women’s Day IQMH would like to recognize the contributions and achievements of women in health care.

For half a century, IQMH has played a crucial role in actively advocating for and supporting quality laboratory services. IQMH promotes laboratory competence and enables the active detection of underlying and emerging issues. The internationally-recognized Proficiency Testing programs at IQMH allow health care providers to have confidence in accurate laboratory results enabling them to deliver safe, high-quality care.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to patient safety and worldwide public health. The diminishing effectiveness of current antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals, against resistant organisms is a major concern. Infections acquired in health care settings contribute to prolonged hospital stays, higher mortality rates, and increased utilization of health care resources.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada primarily due to aging and the growth of the population.

Black History Month provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of Black communities in health care. This includes the countless contributions made by Black individuals within the health care sector, who have played a vital role in advancing medical research, improving patient care, and promoting health equity.

Did you know according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to struggles with their mental health?

The IQMH Bone Marrow surveys allow IQMH to share a variety of interesting and educational cases, which promotes quality improvement through inter-laboratory comparison of participants’ responses and provides an external reference for a facility’s own quality assurance purposes.

At the 2023 Ontario Society for Clinical Chemists (OSCC) Annual Scientific Meeting, IQMH's Scientific Committee members, Danijela Konforte and Lei Fu, shared insights from the 2022 Chemistry patterns-of-practice survey, exploring current trends in pre-analytical and analytical practices related to alcohol, volatiles, and urine drug testing gathered from 197 licensed clinical laboratories across Ontario. The presentation delved into the changes and trends observed since IQMH’s 2011 Toxicology Guidelines prompting a meaningful roundtable discussion led by Consultant Technologist, Alex Kumaritakis.

The Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare, Proficiency Testing, is seeking pathologists skilled in the assessment of histological and immunohistochemical stains to serve as assessors for the Pathology Proficiency Testing Program.

In 2023, IQMH conducted a focused questionnaire investigating the landscape of Anti-Nuclear Antibody/Anti-Cell Antibody (ANA/ACA) testing across Canadian laboratories.

From October 23 –27, IQMH recognizes Canadian Patient Safety Week to inspire improvements in health care safety and quality. Healthcare Excellence Canada collaborates with patients and partners, and leads this annual campaign to advance improvements and changes to enable everyone in Canada to have safe, effective, and high-quality health care.