Scope of Practice

Background The current healthcare environment is one of considerable uncertainty, unprecedented change and limitless potential. The advances in medical research, genetics, and molecular methodologies, provide great opportunities for scientific and clinical advances in the detection, treatment and prevention of disease. Although there is great promise, the continuing changes in healthcare delivery and financing will have a profound impact on the availability and utilization of both new and existing diagnostic services.

The dynamic scientific, economic and regulatory environment has provided expanded roles for non-physician healthcare professionals, including medical laboratory scientists. This environment will allow the important issues of cost containment, access, quality, patient safety and appropriate utilization of laboratory services to be more effectively addressed. While the cost of healthcare continues to rise, there are significantly increased expectations from clinicians and healthcare consumers to deliver information in a manner that will facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment.

At a time when the cost of healthcare is over 17% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), clinical laboratory services continue to provide a significant level of value.¹ Healthcare is being impacted by evidence-based medicine (EBM), evidence-based practice (EBP), and comparative effectiveness research (CER). Laboratory information provides significant data and scientific information that contribute to the development of EBM, EBP, and CER.² As healthcare becomes more evidenced based, and that evidence is provided by medical laboratory professionals, it is important that medical laboratory scientists assume their role as members of the interprofessional healthcare team. It is time for the appropriately qualified healthcare professionals to provide…