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- Title
State of affairs and future challenges in laboratory medicine in Spain: an analysis of the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC<sup>ML</sup>).
- Authors
Caballé, Imma; Buño, Antonio; Bernabeu, Francisco A.; Canalias, Francesca; Moreno, Antonio; Ibarz, Mercè; Puzo, José; González, Concepción; González, Álvaro
- Abstract
Laboratory Medicine is a crucial discipline that contributes to the diagnosis, management and monitoring of patients. This branch of medicine faces two major challenges: New technologies and increased demand. There is limited information available of the state of affairs in Laboratory Medicine in Spain. This study provides a picture of clinical laboratories and clinical laboratory professionals. The Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine distributed a questionnaire among the 250 most representative centers (the ones with the largest volume of determinations and training programs), of which 174 (69.6%) returned the questionnaire providing data for 2019. Laboratories were classified according to the number of determinations. In total, 37% identified themselves as small (<1 million determinations per year); 40% considered themselves medium-sized (1–5 million determinations per year) and 23% considered they were large laboratories (>5 million determinations). The level of specialization of laboratory physicians and laboratory performance were higher in large laboratories. Most requests (87%) and determinations (93%) corresponded to biochemistry and hematology. As many as 63% of physicians had an indefinite contract, and 23% were older than 60 years. Laboratory medicine is a consolidated discipline that is gaining relevance in Spain. It adds value to the diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up of diseases, and to treatment response monitoring. The results of this study will help us address challenges such as the need for specialized training for laboratory professionals; the emergence of technological innovations; exploitation of Big Data; optimization of quality management systems and patient safety.
- Subjects
SPAIN; DATA security laws; PATHOLOGICAL laboratories; MEDICINE; HOSPITALS; BIOCHEMISTRY; MEDICAL quality control; DATABASES; PRIVACY; DIRECT-to-consumer prescription drug advertising; RESEARCH methodology; HEMATOLOGY; LABOR supply; COMPARATIVE studies; FORECASTING; HOSPITAL wards; QUESTIONNAIRES; MEDICAL ethics; DECISION making; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; RESEARCH funding; LONGITUDINAL method; DIAGNOSTIC services; PATIENT safety; LABORATORY personnel
- Publication
Advances in Laboratory Medicine / Avances en Medicina de Laboratorio, 2023, Vol 4, Issue 1, p70
- ISSN
2628-491X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/almed-2023-0013