Pattern of outpatient laboratory service consumption in a teaching hospital in Gondar, Ethiopia

A one year laboratory service analysis for outpatient service consumers of Gondar College of Medical Sciences Hospital was done. Data were gathered through a daily registry prospectively. 17,471 patients visited the laboratory between October 1994 and September 1995. 47.9% were from Gondar town. 72.5% paid for the services. Children under 15 made up only 11.8% of service consumers. In the year, a total of 27,982 laboratory tests were requested, 48% of which were in urinalysis and parasitology. Most of the requests could be handled by upgraded peripheral laboratories leaving room for the unit to act as a training and back-up centre.