Clinical pathology/laboratory medicine, a specialty focused on performing complementary tests to aid diagnosis, has impact upon several stages of health care: prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic management. There are several factors that will foster the use of laboratory medicine in the future. In order to discuss the main trends in laboratory medicine, this article describes the major factors that have promoted growth in this market, which herein are referred to as growth drivers. The major trends that will cause substantial impact on laboratory medicine are: management tools, inclusion of new tests and procedures, service quality, operational models, automation, consolidation and integration, information technology, personalized and genetic medicine. Laboratory medicine occupies a pivotal role in 70% of all clinical decisions with minimal healthcare costs of approximately 10%. All trends discussed herein sustain an increase in the use of laboratory tests as well as its importance in health care. Both this new model and the expectation of optimal solutions have led the market to search for changes and new management strategies.
Laboratory medicine; Diagnostic medicine; Clinical pathology; Automation Market
