The new lab accreditation standards being proposed by Canadian pathologists would limit the amount of faulty cancer tests coming from every facility in the country, according to the pathologists' organizing body.
The Canadian Association of Pathologists proposes a system that would see regular testing of all labs across the country, following a standard set by Ontario and British Columbia. Labs would be sent a sample of tissue to diagnose and if the result was incorrect, that lab's recent tests would be verified.
"What the pathologists are proposing is a more rigorous accreditation review of all laboratories that are providing these tests," Dr. Sylvia Asa of the University Health Network told CTV's Canada AM on Monday. "If there's a problem with the process it would be picked up."
The pathologists were in Ottawa on the weekend attending a national conference. They are requesting a meeting with federal Health Minister Tony Clement to demand he implement their lab accreditation strategy.
Some pathologists also expressed concerns about a shortage of doctors in their profession.
They say the reduced numbers may be taking a negative toll on Canada's health-care system as a whole, forcing pathologists to work longer hours and do more increasingly complex tests. Some fear that could create even more problems and inaccurate test results.
Asa said the importance of the role played by pathologists is often overlooked by the public because of their behind-the-scenes role.
"With all these new tests we're playing a much more active role in patient care," she said. "Pathology is a very important part of medicine."
The conference comes in the wake of high-profile cases in several provinces where patients were misdiagnosed or had their tests botched.
"Our feeling is that if a national accreditation program been in place, the problems in Newfoundland would have been picked up shortly after they developed. The fallout wouldn't have been as long... The initial flawed test would have been picked up in months."
Newfoundland recently concluded public hearings into more than 400 inaccurate test results given to patients between 1997 and 2005. The botched results affected the type of cancer care patients received. In some cases, they did not find out for years that their tests had been inaccurate.
The provinces of New Brunswick and Manitoba are also investigating potentially inaccurate testing.
