The assertion that "this is correct because I say it is correct" is not acceptable in a scientific discipline. And yet, since expert opinion is often the only gold standard in morphology, the best we can do is to substitute a credible "we" for the unacceptable "I." Proficiency testing is based on the premise that there is a measurable standard of accuracy against which individual performance can be measured. The results reported by the College of American Pathologists Cytopathology Resource Committee1 should cause the planners of cytopathology proficiency testing to reassess some of their working assumptions before embarking on a program with regulatory consequences.
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