[Clinical chemistry and bacteriological testing in Iceland 1990.]

In this article we present the number and composition of clinical laboratory testing, both haematological, biochemical and bacteriological, performed at hospitals, primary care centers and private clinics in Iceland, in the year 1990. Inquiries were sent to 85 institutions, 52 (61%) responded. The number of assays performed at the laboratories/institutions not responding was estimated. The total number of assays performed in 1990 at these Icelandic institutions was 1.7 million which equals to 6.7 tests per person. Comparison to a similar investigation of assays done in 1982 showed that for those institutions which participated both years the number of tests other than bacteriological tests had increased by 23.2%. Tests done at larger hospitals had increased by 30%, at intermediate sized hospitals they had increased by 14.5%, and testing at primary care centers had decreased by 10% between 1982 and 1990. Bacteriological and clinical chemistry tests increased significantly or by 53% and 49% respectively. On the other hand hematological tests increased only by 1% and tests on urine decreased by 25%. By far the most common assay performed was blood count, ESR came second both years.