Medical Laboratory Professionals Role in Healthcare
Dr. Syed Bilal Hashmi, Staff Pathologist, Chemical Pathology
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicince
Clinical laboratories are the driving force for the next generation of precision medicine and care delivery. Medical laboratory professionals provide up to 70 percent of the medical laboratory results for physicians and others to make informed decisions about one's diagnosis and treatment plan.
The clinical laboratory professional is a key contributor to the modern healthcare system. Lab professionals have the skill to unveil important medical information which is important for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
Every day, our laboratory staff and pathologists work in various teams with clinical colleagues to help diagnose and manage treatments of patients. Lab professionals perform tests on blood, urine, body fluids and tissues, interpret results and help provide a complete picture of patient's health. Using these results and considering the clinical history, physicians are better able to provide appropriate and timely care to patients. Laboratory professionals use highly complex and automated analyzers to detect presence of certain diseases, cancer, identify microorganisms and perform routine and specialized tests. Lab professionals work day and night, to bring in the new test kits, validate them, and then run patient samples.
The laboratory professional teams are comprised of highly educated and skilled pathologists, clinical laboratory scientists, cytotechnologists, laboratory technologists, phlebotomists etc. Laboratory professionals are also a central pillar of health infrastructure, critical in times of public health emergency. They also do the critical work of providing surveillance on burden of disease, in addition to other efforts that support public health. To conclude, lab professionals hold a bright future and promising career in developing modern healthcare. Therefore its very important to acknowledge and appreciate this field of medicine.
