IV Product or Work of Art?

During this time of pandemic there has been an enhanced appreciation of those Healthcare Professionals who have gone the extra mile to ensure our Health and their Safety is not compromised.
Of course, they have always provided the same level of care and attention to detail daily, but our awareness of all the unseen work they do has been heightened through the news media.

In comparison, The Arts and Creative industries, couldn’t be more different, being one of the few professions whose end- products can clearly demonstrate quality and attention to detail. A painting, sculpture or piece of fine furniture can be viewed to show the skill and effort of the craftsmen or women..

Consider all the Laboratory Analysts who have achieved the highest level of competence in their craft. We depend on their attention to detail in analytical measurements which govern almost every aspect of our lives in terms of health and safety and efficiency in clinical, environmental, and manufacturing, and in every facet of our industrial processes.

The measurements these analysts make are derived from instruments whose sensitivity and readability are comparative, needing to be qualified and quantified through use of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs).

Any differences between the CRMs used in different laboratories, will inevitably result in discrepancies when laboratories analyse the same sample. It is therefore imperative that CRM’s are manufactured to internationally recognised Standards to produce reliable analytical data.

In Art, the provenance of the item shows the origin, source, and history of ownership of the painting or sculpture. In Certified Reference Materials (CRM) provenance is underwritten by the Certificate of Analysis which is supported by a traceability statement fully qualifying the product, its intended use, specific informative detail, and most importantly an assigned value and uncertainty.