Bioanalytical method validation and its implications for forensic and clinical toxicology - A review

The reliability of analytical data is very important to forensic and clinical toxicologists for the correct interpretation of toxicological findings. This makes (bio)analytical method validation an integral part of quality management and accreditation in analytical toxicology. Therefore, consensus should be reached in this field on the kind and extent of validation experiments as well as on acceptance criteria for validation parameters. In this review, the most important papers published on this topic since 1991 have been reviewed. Terminology, theoretical and practical aspects as well as implications for forensic and clinical toxicology of the following validation parameters are discussed: selectivity (specificity), calibration model (linearity), accuracy, precision, limits, stability, recovery and ruggedness (robustness).