Free email course · Risk-based approaches · Five emails over ten days
What could go wrong—and why does it matter?
Make the connection between quality and possible harm.
Move beyond “high risk” labels. Five short emails explain how everyday laboratory work, safeguards and evidence fit together—with a clear example and small reflections along the way.
Short and manageable
About three minutes
One idea in each email, with familiar laboratory examples and occasional small reflections. Read it when it suits you.
A clear outcome
Explain a concern
Describe possible harm, a safeguard, what remains uncertain and the evidence that would help you review it.
Free, with a clear purpose
An introduction
Foundational teaching drawn from Stephen’s Pathology in Practice risk series. No scoring exercise or implementation project.
Your five emails
From a problem to a clearer explanation.
For laboratory scientists, quality leads, managers and assessors seeking an introduction or refresher.
Day 0 · Email 1
Start with the possible harm
Connect a process failure to the people it could affect.
Day 2 · Email 2
Follow the whole pathway
Recognise risks before, during and after measurement.
Day 4 · Email 3
Ask what the control actually changes
Understand what a safeguard does and what it depends on.
Day 7 · Email 4
The risk that remains
Separate residual risk from reassuring scores and completed actions.
Day 10 · Email 5
Keep asking whether it works
Ask what evidence shows a control is effective.
Days are counted from confirmed enrolment, not particular weekdays. Delivery may vary slightly with email processing.
Try the approach
The result is ready. Has it reached the right person?
Imagine a fictional laboratory where an urgent-result notification reaches an unattended inbox. The analyser has worked correctly. What concern remains?
Reveal the explanation
The intended recipient may not have the information when it is needed. That could delay appropriate care. Whether harm occurs depends on the clinical situation and other safeguards. The question goes beyond the analytical result.
Your educator
Stephen MacDonald PhD FRCPath
Consultant Clinical Scientist and educator, connecting laboratory measurement and quality to the questions that arise in everyday work.
Build understanding first
By the end, explain a simple laboratory risk concern without treating a score or completed action as proof of safety. Detailed control design, risk acceptance and implementation require further practical teaching and local governance. There is no competence assessment or certificate.
Make risk-based thinking easier to understand.
Five short emails. Free to join. Enter your email address and confirm it using the message we send you. If you have already confirmed your address with our email-learning service, another confirmation may not be needed.
Your first lesson follows confirmed enrolment. The others arrive around days 2, 4, 7 and 10. Joining this course will not automatically enrol you in other courses or The Laboratory Quality Briefing.
You can stop the emails using the links in each lesson. Use email preferences to manage individual course choices. Read the privacy notice.
A few practical questions
Is it really free?
Yes. No payment or membership is required for these five introductory emails.
Can I take more than one course?
Yes. Each course has its own sign-up. If you start several together, their schedules can overlap.
Will I complete a risk assessment?
No. You will learn the ideas and try a small explanation. Detailed FMEA, fault-tree work, scoring, control plans and risk acceptance are beyond this introductory course.
Which edition of ISO 22367 is relevant?
The current edition is ISO 22367:2026, published in April 2026. Stephen’s original articles used the 2020 context. The guide explains the source basis and current scope; this course is not a complete interpretation of the 2026 standard or a compliance assessment.
What if an email does not arrive?
Check your junk folder and search for “Risk” from Pathology Uncertainty. For help, contact stephen@pathologymu.com.