ETHICAL
CONDUCT POLICY

ISTODIEREVNITIKI has adopted ethical rules that it unwaveringly complies with. These are recognised, supported and complied with by Management, as well as by Medical, Scientific and Technical staff. These rules reflect the basic principles and values that all healthcare professionals should abide by. The ethical rules we have adopted and which we comply with at the Laboratory are as follows:

• Users of the Laboratory's services (“Users”) must be treated equally and without discrimination based on their gender, race or financial status.
• Medical information must be collected in a manner that ensures its confidentiality and must be limited to the data necessary to properly carry out analyses/tests, to evaluate the results and to ensure staff safety.
• Users must be informed about why their personal data is being collected.
• Before a sample is taken for analysis/testing, Users must be informed about how the analysis/test will be carried out and its clinical importance. In emergencies where more in-depth testing of the materials taken is required but consent cannot be obtained from Users, steps must be taken to best safeguard Users’ interests.
• Specimens deemed unsuitable for analysis/testing by the Laboratory's medical staff must be rejected after all possible efforts have been made to fix the cause of the problem, where that is possible.
• Analyses/tests are always carried out in accordance with internationally accepted methods which are implemented based on rules and principles of Good Laboratory Practice, and the results obtained are not distorted or altered in any way.
• In addition to ensuring the accuracy of the results, the Laboratory is also responsible for interpreting the analysis/tests in the interests of Users of its services.
• Specimens cannot be analysed/tested in ways not requested by Users, for example, for research purposes. They may only be used in this way if the User has consented to this in advance. If that is not the case, specimens must be handled anonymously.
• The results of analyses/tests carried out on User specimens must always be handled and sent confidentially by authorised staff. The only exception to this rule is when the User consents or this is required by the law or the courts.
• The results of critical analyses/tests are not notified to Users if support and advice from specialised medical staff at the laboratory has not been secured.
• Epidemiological, demographic or other statistical analysis of User results must always be done by anonymising the data.
• Medical information and the results accompanying it must always be kept in a manner which ensures it can only be accessed by authorised staff in a controlled manner.

Lastly, the Laboratory must avoid: making any sort of financial arrangements that might undermine its independence and integrity, and getting itself involved in situations that could lead to conflicts of interest with third parties.