[Accreditation in pathology]

Certification and accreditation describe two different procedures. Certification confirms the conformity of a product, process or service to specified requirements. It does not demonstrate technical or diagnostic competence. Accreditation, on the other hand, is the formal recognition by a third party that a department of anatomical pathology is competent to carry out all the steps involved in tissue processing that lead to the diagnosis formulated by the pathologist. This includes the technical and diagnostic competence to produce valid diagnoses. An accredited department of anatomical pathology does not require any additional certification. In the last few years 55 departments of anatomical pathology were accredited in Germany according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020 including private practices, as well as departments of community hospitals and universities. In these cases, more than 150 assessments were carried out. The expertise gained during these assessments is used in the formulation of a guidance document for the interpretation of the DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020 and was written by the Sector Committee of Pathology and Neuropathology of the DAP, which comprises members of the Berufsverband Deutscher Pathologen e. V. and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pathologie e. V.. These accreditations have initiated a process of standardization and harmonization in anatomical pathology, which prepares German pathologists for future challenges in patient management and individualized therapy, e.g. providing clinically relevant information through the use of predictive biomarkers.