Laboratory medicine

Physicians in the central laboratory are mostly specialists in laboratory medicine or in this specialist training; in hospitals, internists also often head the laboratory because laboratory physicians are lacking. They advise referring colleagues on which laboratory tests are useful and how results should be interpreted. They validate results, prepare reports and are responsible for quality management. The specialty covers, among others, clinical chemistry, haematology and haemostaseology, immunohaematology, endocrinology, immunology and therapeutic drug monitoring. They head laboratories or sections with staff responsibility for several professional groups, introduce new methods and optimise laboratory workflows. They have hardly any direct contact with patients.