EEG Laboratory at WFUBMC Becomes The Only Accredited Lab in North Carolina

August 31, 2005

The Electroencephalographic (EEG) Laboratory at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been accredited by the Laboratory Accreditation Board of the American Board of Registration of Electroencephalographic and Evoked Potential Technologists (ABRET). With this certification, the Wake Forest Baptist EEG Laboratory becomes one of four in the United States and the only lab accredited in North Carolina.

ABRET's lab accreditation process evaluates technical standards, the quality of the laboratory's output and lab management issues. Successful accreditation means the EEG Laboratory has met strict standards and is to be recognized as a place where patients and physicians can have confidence they are receiving quality diagnostics.

Wake Forest Baptist’s accreditation is for five years.

“We are delighted that our lab is the first in the state and one of only four in the nation that is accredited by this organization,” said Cormac O’Donovan, M.D., Medical Director of the EEG and Evoked Potential Lab. “Our EEG monitoring capabilities allow our patients to receive the best care available in this region.”

EEG recordings are used to measure and record seizure activity in the brain and are most commonly used to diagnose epilepsy in patients. Wake Forest Baptist technologists use continuous EEG monitoring of brain function for critically ill patients. This state-of-the-art monitoring, which is available for immediate review, allows physicians to use the latest treatment options.

ABRET is the credentialing board for EEG, Evoked Potential, and Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring Technologists. The Laboratory Accreditation Board was founded in 2004.

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Media Contact: Rae Bush (336) 716-6878, rbush@wfubmc.edu; or Karen Richardson (336) 716-4453, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu.

About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,187 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.

Media Relations

Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587