CLSI Publishes New Laboratory Support for Pain Management Document

Published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute

Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA—The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute has published guideline C63—Laboratory Support for Pain Management Programs

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guideline C63—Laboratory Support for Pain Management Programs, provides recommendations for medical laboratory toxicology-based testing services for the care and treatment of persons in pain management programs. The intended users of this guideline include medical laboratory scientists and personnel, medical technologists, hospital administrators, physician office personnel, risk managers, pharmacists, and health care providers tasked with implementing pain management testing for their institutions or networks.

Catherine A. Hammett-Stabler, PhD, DABCC, FACB, Chairholder of C63 said, “The document development committee that wrote C63 was composed of individuals who have many years of experience in providing laboratory services to pain management clinics and guiding pain management providers through the interpretation and use of the testing results.  It should serve as a practical, basic guide to those starting this type of service.”

This new guideline includes:

• An introduction to pain management testing.
• A process flow chart showing the process for pain management clinical testing.
• A discussion of different testing methods, including point-of-care and mass spectrometry.
• Guidance on results reporting and interpretation of toxicology testing for pain management.

For more information about C63, contact Patrick McGinn at pmcginn@clsi.org or +1.484.588.5933.

CLSI sets the standard for quality in medical laboratory testing. A not-for-profit membership organization, CLSI brings together the global laboratory community for the advancement of a common cause: to foster excellence in laboratory medicine.

For nearly 50 years, our members, volunteers, and customers have made CLSI a respected, transformative leader in the development and implementation of medical laboratory testing standards. Through our unified efforts, we will continue to set and uphold the standards that drive quality test results, enhance patient care delivery, and improve health care around the world.

By using CLSI standards, laboratorians can improve process quality, speed the development of standard operating procedures, and implement safer practices with greater ease and efficiency.