Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry

Contact us: 
Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry, Technical Secretariat
Miroslava Beranová
Inst. of Medical Biochemistry & Lab. Med. and General University Hospital
U Nemocnice 2
CZ-128 08 Prague 2
Phone: + 420 224 962 841
Fax: +420 224 962 848
e-mail: sekretariat@cskb.cz

Introduction 

The Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry is the national society of Clinical Biochemistry in Czech Republic (hereinafter referred to as CSCB). CSCB is a member society of The Czech Medical Association of Jan Evangelista Purkyně. CSCB comprises 1130 members (up to September 20th 2013), including 810 university graduates and 324 laboratory assistants. There are 226 physicians and 584 other universities graduates as well as 12 foreign members from Slovakia.

Organizational structure

  • The Board of CSCB and supervising committee consist of 7 and 3 members respectively.
  • The Board meetings take place on monthly basis.
  • The Board is asigned for four years.

History

The Section of Clinical Chemistry of the Czech and Slovak Medical Society of J.E. Purkyně was established in June 1958. Constituting and electoral meetings of the Czechoslovak Society of Clinical Chemistry were held on October 10th, 1958 and on March 20th, 1959 respectively and the first board with Prof. Jaroslav Hořejší, M.D., as president was appointed. Finally, on April 24th, 1969 federal arrangement of the republic, gave rise to the independent Czech and Slovak Societies of Clinical Biochemistry. After splitting the republic in 1993 The Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry follows with a good tradition and continues to serve all biochemical community. Board of the Society consists of 7 members elected for the period of 4 years.

Activities

Professional meeting organizing

  • CSCB actively follows its predecessors - The Czechoslovak Society of Clinical Chemistry (21 meetings untill 1989) and group of laboratory assistants (BIOLAB meetings since 1946) in organizing national congresses of clinical chemistry specialists. Since 1993 CSCB has been arranging national congresses on biannual basis as well as numerous regional or specific topic-focused meetings. The last (11th) national congress was held in Olomouc on September 2013 with over 500 participants...

Guidelines, Recommendations

  • CSCB issues guidelines and recommendations regarding whole variety of clinical topics, eg. thyreopathies, evaluation of glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, cardiac markers, diabetes mellitus, glucometers, POCT, cerebrospinal fluid, tumour markers, screening of Down syndrome as well as EQA and IQA. Among publications issued by CSCB could be found: Basic Recommendations for General Practitioners, Preanalytical Phase Manual, Internal Quality Control, Vitamins, Amino Acids, Metrology, etc.

Lab Tests Online

  • CSCB acquired rights for the Czech version of the internet project Lab Tests Online through a contract with European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association (EDMA) in 2008. The internet project Lab Tests Online, was created by the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) to help patients and healh care professionals better understand clinical laboratory testing and its results. The Czech version provides information on 240 lab tests, screening programmes, as well as preanalytical phase and 96 diseases.

Publishing activities

  • CSCB publishes quarterly the journal „Clinical Biochemistry and Metabolism” (Klinická biochemie a metabolismus, printed since 1993). The Journal is focused on various topics in clinical biochemistry, pathophysiology, pathobiochemistry, nutritional support and nuclear medicine. The Journal is shared with The Society of Medical Genetics for the last 5 years too. It contains reviews, original papers, case reports as well as methodical studies. Most of the articles are presented in Czech and Slovak language with English summaries, some articles are written in English. Journal supplements contain programs and abstracts from national congresses. To conclude, all positive features of the former Journal Biochemica Clinica Bohemoslovaca (1972-92) are therefore successfully carried forward. Journal is indexed in Excerpta Medica/Embase.
  • From February 1975 till January 1991 the Board had been publishing “Information of The Czech Society of Clinical Chemistry” designated to the society members. Since 1991, information bulletin „FONS” has been published quarterly. It is focused on actual practical problems of development and running of biochemical labs.

Quality control

  • CSCB has been greatly concerned with standardized and guaranteed quality of laboratory testing results for over two decades. Therefore CSCB also initialized cooperation on the process of external quality assessment (EQA) with SEKK, the national EQA provider. Moreover CSCB has been, for the past ten years, developing and improving the accreditation system for medical laboratories.
  • The Czech Institute of Accreditation grants accreditation according to ISO 15189, ISO 17025 or ISO 9001.
  • The National Autorisation Body for clinical laboratories (NASKL) appointed by The Czech Medical Association supports the preliminary steps for accreditation and issues audits for laboratories,

Awards

  • CSCB anually grants the most prestigious Awards:
    • Hořejší Medal,
    • The Best Scientific Publication Prize
    • The Best Educational Material Prize.

International activities

  • Nowadays CSCB represents as a member of IFCC (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry) and EFLM (European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine) well recognized institution partaking in EC4 Register Commission activities (European Communities Confederation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine). Worldwide known international colleagues often take active part in congresses, meetings or workshops organized by the CSCB and its members share memberships in foreign societies of clinical chemistry. Among important professional events held in Czech Republic there were some of particular interest: the 2nd European Congress of Clinical Chemistry in Prague in October 1976 with 1,500 participants, the Alps-Adria Congress in Karlovy Vary in September 1999, the EuromedLab 2001 in Prague with over 2800 scientists or the FESCC Symposium 2004 in Prague focused on postgraduate education with 80 delegates from European clinical chemistry societies. More recent scientific events organized by CSCB had been EFCC Symposium on Education in Clinical Chemistry (Prague, March 2012), 24th International Symposium “Promoting a Culture of Quality …” (Prague, October 2012), and Symposium “Patient Safety” (Prague, April 2013).
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