Clinical Laboratory Sensationalism
The modern clinical laboratory offers a large repertoire of tests on a variety of specimens. A full service laboratory usually includes the following disciplines; chemistry, immunology, hematology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, transfusion medicine and informatics. Clinical laboratories are staffed by clinical pathologists, clinical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians and support personnel.
The clinical laboratory plays a vital role across the entire continuum of health care. Clinical laboratory testing has a major effect on clinical decision making by providing physicians, nurses and other health care providers with important information that is needed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of disease. Nearly every practicing physician depends upon the clinical laboratory for the care of his or her patient.
Laboratory testing affects persons in every stage of life, and almost everyone will have numerous laboratory tests conducted during their lifetime. More than 4000 different laboratory tests are available today for clinical use, of which, approximately 500 are ordered on a daily basis. An estimated 7 to 10 billion laboratory tests are performed each year in the United States. Up to 85 percent of decisions about diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory results. Laboratory test results comprise about 70 percent of the average patient's medical record.
The vast majority of clinical laboratories are accredited by multiple agencies including the College of American Pathologists, AABB, Joint Commission and FDA. Accredited laboratories are subject to unannounced inspections. Pathologists and medical laboratory scientists are licensed professionals who maintain the highest standards of quality. Each year they must undergo rigorous competency testing and complete continuing education.
Unfortunately, a recent article entitled, “Weak Oversight Allows Lab Failures To Put Patients At Risk” was published in the Journal Sentinel by Ellen Gabler. In this article, the author alleges that a “secretive system hides lab errors from the public and puts patients at risk.” This conclusion is apparently based on a handful of cases discussed in the article.
You can read the entire article by clicking on this link.
Clinical laboratory testing is highly complex and errors do happen. However, the vast majority of clinical laboratories that I have encountered in my 30 year career as a clinical pathologist have been staffed by highly reputable and dedicated professionals who actively investigate errors and develop safeguards to prevent them from happening again. In my opinion, the Journal Sentinel article is an example of journalistic sensationalism at its worst. Perhaps the newspaper should change its name from Journal Sentinel to Journal Sensational?
