All documents must have a unique identity (UID). This is mandated by the ISO 15189 Standard.

A common method of assigning a UID is with a number, and perhaps an issue. For example, a document may be numbered 1, 2, or 3, or Document 1 ver 1, Document 1 ver 2, and so on. If the document is completely revised, it will usually get a new name; if there is a small change, it will usually be identified as a new edition or issue of an existing document.

The UID can be improved by adding the name of the Clause of the Standard ISO 15189 to which it pertains: for example, 4.10-1 version 1, 4.10-1 version 2, 4.10-1 version 3.

I believe that the UID itself should clarify the nature of the document. For example “4.10-DOC-ver 2” clarifies that this is a document. Other options are QSP (quality system procedure), SOP (standard operating procedure), DP (documented procedure).

An inherent drawback of this identification system is that the organization does not know the newness of the document from the UID itself. Is 4.10 ver 4 a recent document? Or is it two years old? Therefore, I am convinced that all UIDs should incorporate a date, as follows: 4.10-DOC-2016-07-14 says it all. This UID is easy to index, and of course its date of origin is clear. In fact, once the date is entered, there is no need to enter an edition number.

The ISO 15189 Standard requires that all documents should be reviewed once a year. Once a date is assigned to the UID, it becomes obvious that the review has been carried out.

In the book, Assuring Quality and Competence, we have used the following style: Organization-DP-Clause-short title-date. For example, the UID “KBG-DP-Clause 4.1.1-Organization-2014-07-04” indicates that this UID is a KBG Hospital document. It is a “documented procedure” relating to Clause 4.1.1. Its short title is “Organization”, and it was last reviewed (and possibly modified) on 4 July 2014.

SK Sood
25 Dec 2017