Abstract
The Editors of this special issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation and the Organising Committee of the Conference: Strategies to set Global Quality Specifications in Laboratory Medicine, Stockholm, 24-26 April 1999, are pleased to report that this recent Conference was most successful. Over 100 participants from 27 countries actively contributed to the discussions on the 22 formal presentations. Our primary aim in organizing the Conference was to provide a vehicle for reaching consensus on the setting of global quality specifications in laboratory medicine. This objective was achieved and lively constructive debate after the presentations were complete led to agreement on the principles laid down in the following Consensus Statement.