The fitness for purpose of analytical methods: a laboratory method validation and related topics

Eurachem is a network of organisations in Europe, focusing on promoting the reliability of measurement results in analytical sciences and good laboratory practices. To this aim, Eurachem brings together expert working groups, to identify needs, collect expertise and propose authoritative guidance, in the form of short documents and guides, as well as organises workshops to promote the exchange of experience and views among the analytical community. Using a common terminology and a harmonised validation of test methods is a key-issue in assuring the quality of analytical results. In 2011 we published a Guide on Terminology in Measurement  and recently we released a second edition of the Guide on method validation , devised to help laboratories demonstrating the fitness for purpose of test methods, taking into account developments in terminology, standards and analytical practice. This paper summarises these two Guides

Figure 1  Common terminology to describe quality of measurement

V J Barwich and E Prichard (EDs), Eurachem Guide: Terminology in Analytical Measurement – Introduction to VIM 3 (2011). ISBN 978-0-948926-29-7. Available from www.eurachem.org. 

B. Magnusson and U. Örnemark (eds.) Eurachem Guide: The Fitness for Purpose of Analytical Methods - A Laboratory Guide to Method Validation and Related Topics, (2nd ed. 2014).
ISBN 978-91-87461-59-0. Available from www.eurachem.org.