The clinical laboratory is in the information business

Clinical laboratories have always been in the information business. More than ever, this perspective is essential to deal logically with the many current pressures and anticipated changes in laboratory management. Current pressures for test turn-around and report flexibility are readily explained based on the spatial and temporal factors in the information content of a result. A long term trend is apparent toward easier to manage testing systems more often distributed to the point of care. Combined with the trend toward larger and more integrated delivery systems, this increases the need for information management in the laboratory, both to control production of data at many sites and to collect, route, and archive results for each patient. One potential outcome of this trend appears is dispersion of essentially all central hospital laboratory operations to the bedside, the ward based laboratory, or an outside reference lab. These changes will mesh well with the re-design of nursing and ward care jobs underway in the hospital industry which emphasizes cross training of ward personnel and rapid access to services for patient evaluation and monitoring. More than ever, information management will be synonymous with laboratory management.