Adding Value in the Postanalytical Phase

Apart from maintaining the highest quality of analytical test results, laboratories are now getting more focused on how to achieve the greatest impact of laboratory results on their patient's outcome. Laboratory professionals are now in the learning phase of implementing new practices at different steps of the extra-analytical phases of the testing process where laboratories used to contribute seldom, only sporadically. Recently, the achievable levels of harmonization and responsible contributors at various steps of the testing process have also been proposed. Based on this proposal some tasks of the extra-analytical phase should become primarily the responsibility of laboratories with the involvement of clinicians, like additive testing, individualized interpretative commenting and reporting results with clinical urgency in postanalytical (PA) phase. These tasks can be good targets to start with or to increase patient outcome-oriented extra-analytical activities of laboratories. The status of the present practice of the PA activities for which laboratories proposed to be primarily responsible in the testing process - laboratory-driven PA tasks - will be reviewed below. In addition, approaches of quality assessment (QA) with quality specifications of these laboratory-driven PA tasks and the available best practice recommendations in the light of the achievable level of harmonization will be discussed. Laboratory professionals are encouraged to improve their methodological, theoretical and communicational skills and take the lead and participate in the discussed PA activities that can assist in translating laboratory test results into clinical meaning and thereby lead to better clinical utilization of laboratory test results.