[From the perspective of a clinical laboratory physician]

In Japan, self-monitoring of specific physical conditions is needed, and clinical laboratory testings have been increasingly performed outside of the hospital without the control and/or the supervision of medical doctors. Various items have been measured, which include not only body fat but biochemical markers, cellular analyses for malignancies, sexually transmitted bacterium and so on. Qualitative urinalyses for glucose and protein and for pregnancy, the reagents for which are purchased from pharmacy stores, have been estimated by the examinees themselves. Specimens for most other items described above are collected by examinees themselves, transported via mail or other media and measured in the commercial clinical laboratories. Quality assurance of sampling, transportation and measurement is essential. Therefore, a check-system not only by the owner or manager of the laboratories but also by the non-laboratory staff specialist is needed. Appropriate and exact informations regarding the results must be given to the examinees in consideration of their responsibility concerning the total processes, from preanalytical and analytical to postanalytical processes, of the measurement. Laboratory physicians and technologists should pay more attention to laboratory tests being performed by examinees and outpatients themselves, and participate more in improving and evaluating the usefulness of these tests.