The laboratory and the general practitioner

Clinical laboratories provide vital services for primary care and such work will inevitably increase with the moves to increase the extent to which patients are treated in the primary care setting, an increase in day-case surgery and shorter in-patient stay. The relationship between clinical laboratories and general practitioners should be a partnership with both the parties communicating efficiently in the interest of the patient. In particular, a close relationship between general practitioners and specialists in laboratory medicine is mandatory for handling the increasing number and complexity of laboratory tests, assuring the appropriateness of their request and utilization. In addition, the enormous increase in near-patient testing procedures claims for joint efforts to assure the quality of laboratory results. The General Practitioner always has the responsibility to understand the relevance of a test result and, where appropriate, to investigate further or to refer, irrespective of where the test has been done, but laboratory consultation can assure a better utilization of laboratory services for improving patient outcomes.