Accreditation of pathology laboratories in Finland

 The Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS) accredits testing laboratories in all fields including medical laboratories according to European standard EN 45001 and ISO Guide 25. At the beginning of 1998, FINAS published a recommendation on how to apply general standards in histo- and cytopathology. Four pathology laboratories have been accredited to date. FINAS has not included autopsies in these accreditations. The International Academy of Pathology (IAP)-Finnish Division has recognized 21 pathology laboratories according to standards of their own. Although accreditation by FINAS is not connected to the system of the IAP-Finnish Division, the requirements are very similar in both. Less than half of the pathology laboratories in Finland participate in national quality improvement programme or have been accredited by FINAS.