It is important to understand the terminology used to differentiate inspection agencies and the inspection process. Some of these commonly used terms are listed below:
Accreditation -- acknowledgment or recognition of compliance with specific standards by a voluntary authority.
Compliance -- formal recognition by an authoritative body that specified standards are met.
Inspection -- the process of examining operations and documentation and assuring that findings meet predetermined requirements.
Regulations -- detailed instructions on how laws are enforced or carried out. Regulations are mandatory operational rules and requirements.
Requirements -- fixed quality or performance targets set in response to regulations.
Standards -- provide the specifications or guidelines related to the implantation of services, products, or endpoints.
Survey -- In the laboratory setting, survey most often refers to blinded testing of proficiency samples issued by a third-party (unknown specimens from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), for example). The term can also sometimes refer to an appraisal or be used synonymously with the word ‘inspection.’
