A 2017 report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Choosing Wisely Canada showed that in many clinical areas, up to 30% of tests and treatments are potentially unnecessary. While clinicians ultimately make decisions about which tests and treatments to order based on the assessment of the patient symptoms, many of these decisions can often be influenced by hospital systems and processes that, if outdated, can nudge clinicians toward ordering tests and treatments that do not reflect evidence-based guidelines and practices. This can expose patients to avoidable harm, lengthen wait times, and consume precious hospital resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to shortages in both workforce and supplies required by medical laboratories all over the world. This strain on our medical laboratories poses a challenge to provide continued quality care to patients.

On February 1, 2022, the Ontario Ministry of Health announced a new regulation (Reg.) 45/22 - General, made under the Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act (LSCCLA). The new regulation will regulate the licensing and operations of “laboratory facilities”. O. Reg 45/22 revokes and replaces Reg. 682, (laboratories), and Reg. 683, (specimen collection centres) (SCC). The new regulation comes into effect on July 1, 2022, except for the reporting requirement related to the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS), which will come into effect on January 1, 2023.

The key changes to the new regulation include:

Never before have reliability and accuracy been so important for medical laboratories. Robust risk management processes are the best defence against errors and false results. One of the world’s most trusted guidance documents for risk management in medical laboratories has just been updated to help.