[The perspective of a medical technologist]

Medical technologists must send reliable laboratory data to clinicians before consulting about the data. It is indispensable for medical technologists to acquire and maintain special technological knowledge. What technologists can do to support clinical work is derived basically from the information involved in analyzing samples. Such information could be sent along with the data to the clinical doctor and thus support clinical work. In large hospitals, such as university hospitals, in addition to the usual support for clinicians, we should attempt to develop new methods for analyzing pathological conditions in various diseases. Moreover, we could even support clinical research with our special technological knowledge and skilled application. However, in small hospitals, medical technologists may have to do work that doctors in the laboratory usually do. Curricula and textbooks must be prepared to educate technologists to assume those roles when necessary.