About the SKUP evaluation

Selection of appropriate laboratory equipment Use of appropriate laboratory equipment is an important factor to secure acceptable analytical quality. To enable the users to choose proper laboratory equipment, it is essential to have access to simple, concise and neutral information regarding analytical quality and user-friendliness.
The aim of SKUP The purpose of SKUP is to improve the quality of near patient testing in Scandinavia by providing objective and supplier-independent information about analytical quality and user-friendliness of laboratory equipment. This information is generated by organising SKUP evaluations.
SKUP evaluations A SKUP evaluation is performed in a hospital laboratory as well as by the intended users. The evaluations follow common guidelines and the results from various evaluations are usually comparable. However, the SKUP evaluation protocols are in continuous development. Sometimes it can be difficult to compare earlier results and reports with more recent. The evaluations are carried out on assignment from the manufacturer or the supplier of the equipment. SKUP writes a report and a short summary for each evaluation performed. The applicant has no influence on the conclusions in the report, but can comment on the report in an attachment. Results from SKUP evaluations are published and are available at this website.
Pre-marketing evaluations A pre-marketing evaluation gives useful information to the supplier when deciding whether to launch new equipment or not. The results from a pre-marketing evaluation are confidential, but will be published if the equipment is marketed in Scandinavia. If the equipment is not launched onto the Scandinavian market, this can be due to results that do not fulfil the analytical quality goals or that the equipment in other ways is not suitable. Consequently SKUP promotes that unsuitable laboratory equipment is not marketed in Scandinavia.     Supplementary evaluations Based on a previous SKUP evaluation, SKUP offers supplementary evaluations of product modifications and new models. Prior to a supplementary evaluation, possible options must be discussed to clarify whether testing the modified properties alone is sufficient or if a full evaluation is recommended.        Special evaluations SKUP evaluations can also be organised with focus on a special question or issue.