Clinical chemistry: This area typically includes automated analysis of blood specimens, including tests related to enzymology, toxicology and endocrinology.Clinical microbiology: This encompasses several different sciences, including bacteriology, virology, parasitology, immunology, and mycology.Medical Laboratory, which typically includes the following areas:.Anatomic pathology: areas included here are histopathology, cytopathology, and electron microscopy.In hospitals and other patient-care settings, laboratory medicine is provided by the Department of Pathology and Medical Laboratory, and generally divided into two sections, each of which will be subdivided into multiple specialty areas. 7 Result analysis, validation and interpretation.Commercial medical laboratories operate as independent businesses and provide testing that is otherwise not provided in other settings due to low test volume or complexity. Doctors offices and clinics, as well as skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, may have laboratories that provide more basic testing services.
More comprehensive services can be found in acute-care hospitals and medical centers, where 70% of clinical decisions are based on laboratory testing.
Medical laboratories vary in size and complexity and so offer a variety of testing services. Clinical Medical laboratories are an example of applied science, as opposed to research laboratories that focus on basic science, such as found in some academic institutions.
Clinical laboratory in a hospital setting showing several automated analysers.Ī medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are carried out on clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.