Carol Andrews
The headline was an eye-opener: “Shortage of Clinical Laboratory Scientists Could Affect Response to Bioterrorism.” Talk about driving home a point. Yes, I knew that the laboratory science profession is facing a labor shortage, but this report from the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center caught my attention in a way that no other report had.
Peggy Edwards, chair of the clinical laboratory science department at Saint Louis University’s Edward and Margaret Doisy School of Allied Health Professions, says that the shortage of clinical laboratory scientists is so severe that it could compromise the quality of the US health care system. This could be especially devastating in the event of an attack involving biological or chemical weapons when lab professionals would be responsible for identifying the specimen and confirming whether it is a biological or chemical pathogen, she says. “Approximately 80% of all diagnostic and treatment decisions are based on laboratory results produced by clinical laboratory scientists,” Edwards says. “Without these results, physicians and other primary care practitioners would be severely hampered in their ability to accurately diagnose and treat patients.”
The report goes on to say that the number of programs for clinical laboratory scientists and technicians has declined from 617 in 1995 to 464 in 2003.
After reading the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center report, I felt no surprise when contributing writer Nick Borgert, interviewing for the industry overview on molecular diagnostics, said that several sources told him that the lack of qualified personnel is one of the main reasons that laboratories are not performing molecular diagnostics in greater numbers. Borgert’s article, which begins on page 30, points out that only about 2% of the clinical labs in the United States routinely perform genetic testing. Obviously the labor shortage is a critical issue that the industry must continue to address.
While conducting research on another topic, we came across other startling statistics. In 2000, there were 465,000 hospitalizations and 4,487 deaths from asthma. Moreover, asthma is the only chronic disease—other than AIDS and tuberculosis—that has an increasing death rate. With these numbers in mind, it was an easy decision to focus on asthma for this month’s disease management feature on respiratory diseases. Help for asthmatics is on the way, including new diagnostic and screening tools and a slew of new drugs designed to suppress inflammation and open up constricted airways. Be sure to read contributing writer Renee DiIulio’s comprehensive article, which begins on page 24.
In still another enlightening feature, contributing writer Gary Wolfe discusses Abaxis Inc’s Piccolo point-of-care blood chemistry and electrolyte system. Wolfe’s article on page 36 explains how this analyzer is able to adapt to the different needs of those making treatment decisions.
Finally, in our product development feature, we detail how a small company, Verichem Laboratories Inc is making an impact on the clinical laboratory marketplace.
In short, this issue is packed with information; I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
Carol Andrews
Editor
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