World Standards Day

Each year on October 14 we celebrate World Standards Day, which is a day to pay tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards.

Many people are aware of large standards organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO “brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant international standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.” ISO publishes standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.” ISO publishes standards that are used by many different industries, including the medical, construction, and food industries. Their standards include topics such as health and safety in the workplace, quality management systems, and food safety management. Following standards helps ensure uniform results, which reduces the chance for errors or accidents.

World Standards Day 2020 is themed “Protecting the planet with standards.” One of the most serious public health issues facing the world right now is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when organisms that were able to be treated with antimicrobial agents mutate to the point where the antimicrobial agents are no longer effective.  In the U.S. alone, it causes more than 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths per year. Worldwide, antibiotic resistance threatens our progress in healthcare, food production, and ultimately life expectancy.

CLSI annually creates and revises antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) breakpoints to meet global public health challenges related to antimicrobial resistance. CLSI’s library of 39 Microbiology standards and guidelines establish vital performance criteria and best practice guidelines for use in the clinical microbiology laboratory field. Learn more about CLSI’s AST standards by visiting https://clsi.org/standards/products/microbiology/ .