New directions in laboratory-clinician communications

The widespread availability of computer-generated data interpretation of clinical laboratory determinations, as well as computerized patterns of disease progression, has given the laboratory professional a powerful tool to enhance the capability of the laboratory to provide consultation for the clinicians. Additionally, the new advances in technology, and the measurement of disease markers on a molecular basis, has added a whole new dimension to Laboratory Medicine. This explosion of technology is affording the clinical laboratory professional a renewed chance to become a more visible and productive member of the team of health providers. There is a need for clinicians to be educated on the capabilities of these tests and their relative powers of diagnosis. The ability to determine vanishingly small quantities of biological molecules also presents the clinical laboratory with the opportunity to provide knowledge for preventative medicine, and for extremely early detection of onset of a disease or changes in its status. Prediction of genetic predisposition, using sophisticated molecular techniques, is another aspect of the novel expertise which the clinical laboratory professional can use to educate the clinical staff, and allow for earlier counseling and treatment. It is with these tools and knowledge that the clinical laboratory can contribute substantially to overall patient care. This role for the clinical laboratory is all the more urgent since the proliferation of information presents a substantial obstacle to the physician for understanding the molecular basis of a large number of disease processes and how this information can be best used to enhance patient care. The Laboratory Medicine professional of today has the unique opportunity to communicate and exchange knowledge and expertise with clinical counterparts, using a variety of educational and electronic means.