Towards Value Adding Our Laboratory Service

Active interaction from the laboratory side with the clinical team with respect to diagnostic results plays a key role in the timely management of patients in any health care set-up. Clinical case based discussion plays a fundamental role in this aspect of the practice of Clinical Chemistry. Clinical case based teaching along with interpretation forms an important aspect of teaching and training, both for medical students and for scientific staff who have the responsibility to liaise with requesting doctors regarding their patient results. A clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms of laboratory findings behind the etio-pathogenesis of the clinical conditions of patients together with its clinical implications is extremely useful and contributes significantly towards providing value adding to the service. As laboratory custodians, we routinely perform and validate test results from requests that cover a wide range of clinical situations. Some diagnostic findings may require further elucidation from a diagnostic perspective as it might reflect a secondary clinical setting which needs delineation and testing to ensure that appropriate clinical management ensues. To achieve this, it is paramount that a good understanding of the laboratory findings is evident and Case Based Learning (CBL) allows acquisition and translation of such knowledge effectively to the patient's bedside. A range of diagnostic cases and results covering various aspects of hormonal and biochemical investigations will be presented during the CBL session. The successful outcome of these sessions will allow us to effectively offer laboratory resources and knowledge to assist and advice our clinical clients in a timely and cost effective manner.