Guidelines for blood smear preparation and staining procedure for setting up an external quality assessment scheme for blood smear interpretation. Part I: Control material.

Blood smear analysis is a well known technique in medical laboratories. Clinical relevance of this analysis and its interpretation are very important. Consequently, monitoring of laboratory performance by an external quality assessment scheme is strongly recommended.

Blood film preparation and staining procedures.

The blood film is one of the world's most widely and frequently used tests and has undergone remarkably few changes since its introduction in the late 1800s. This article gives direction and some standardization in the preparation of blood films used for morphologic evaluation in the clinical laboratory. Methodologies that can be labeled as being state-of-the-art and methods applicable for laboratories in developing countries are quoted.