Relationship Between

Medical Lab Technician

and Health Professional
And Patient
Role of Lab Technicians
• Medical laboratories play a significant role in the diagnosis,
monitoring and treatment of diseases.
• The efficacy of the information they provide may be questioned
because of several factors, including the capacity of the laboratory
workforce, the laboratory infrastructure and the availability of
equipment and materials, especially in low-income countries.
• Whilst improving the quality of laboratories is a solution, it does not
always result in proper execution of tests.
Types of Medical Laboratories

• There are four main types of medical laboratories :–

• Clinical laboratories are focused on patient care and are often located
within hospitals.
• Diagnostic laboratories are involved in testing for diseases and are
often contracted by medical practitioners.
• Research laboratories are involved in discovering new medical
treatments,
• Specialized laboratories concentrate on specific areas such as
genetics or forensics.
Lab Technicians Are Vital
• Lab technicians are vital in the healthcare industry and their
importance truly cannot be overstated.
• They are a necessary part of any healthcare team, providing
invaluable support to doctors and other medical professionals.
• Through various tests and other duties, they help doctors diagnose
and treat patients accurately, making their work is essential to
diagnosing and treating illnesses.
Obstacles of Role of the Medical Lab.
• The modern lab plays a significant role in health care, the CDC estimates
that 70% of medical decisions are based on laboratory test results but is
limited by three challenges —
• Turnaround time,
• Clinical and operational standardization,
• Staff shortages..
• Many obstacles that must be considered such as:
• The cultural beliefs of the patients
• Attrition of healthcare workers
• Ahysicians’ attitudes
Lab Technicians In The Healthcare System
• Lab technicians are crucial to the healthcare system because their
work enables accurate and timely diagnostic information used by
physicians and other healthcare professionals.
• They perform laboratory tests that help diagnose medical conditions
such as infections, anemia, cancer, and diabetes.
• And they conduct analysis and data interpretation from these tests
that is central to physicians who are working to determine the most
effective treatment plans for their patients.
• Lab technician’s work doesn’t end with performing tests or
maintaining machines, and they are a critical part of most healthcare
teams.
• They can also have a deep impact on the lives of patients.
• Let’s take a look at how lab techs influence both healthcare
professionals and the patients they treat:
• By providing accurate and timely laboratory testing and analysis, lab
technicians help physicians develop and adjust treatment plans,
monitor patients' progress, and make informed decisions about their
care.
• Act as health promoter
Skills Required for a Career in Medical
Lab Technician
• In addition to technical skills like performing tests and recording results,
critical thinking, analytical abilities, and attention to detail are essential
for success in this field.
• – Identify problems, analyze information, and propose effective solutions
• – Meticulous in examining even the smallest details
• – Clear and concise communication skills
• – Vital for transferring information
• – Collaborate with medical teams
• – Ensure the best possible outcomes for patients
Impacting Other Healthcare Staff
• In coordination with technologists and their colleagues, lab techs are trained
to manage patient and corporate information with compassion and
confidentiality, ensuring that quality is always at the forefront of their work.
• Further to supporting the overall team’s objectives in determining the best
possible treatment options for the patient, lab techs are important for their
direct and indirect assistance with a fundamental healthcare team work.
• Professional lab technicians will go above and beyond their role, making
inferences and extrapolating their results meaningfully to their audience.
• This means they are experts at reading the current audience and situation,
providing only the most relevant and compelling information when needed.
• Beyond this critical information, lab technicians educate and train other
healthcare staff on laboratory testing and analysis.
• They work closely with nurses to ensure patients receive the correct
medication dosage and promptly identify and address any side effects.
• This ensures that all healthcare team work members are informed and
knowledgeable about the testing process and the results.
• Lab technicians may also collaborate with nurses to collect and prepare
samples for laboratory testing, ensuring that accurate and timely results
are available for the healthcare team to make informed decisions.
Patients And Treatment Plans

• Lab technicians are an integral part of the healthcare system, and their
work directly impacts patients’ treatment and care.
• By providing accurate and timely laboratory testing and analysis, lab
technicians help physicians develop and adjust treatment plans, monitor
patients’ progress, and make informed decisions about their care.
• Lab technicians are responsible for contributing to the overall team’s goal
of maintaining a sterile environment, especially with work that directly
impacts the patient.
• Specifically, lab techs take the lead in ensuring that equipment is kept clean
for use and that samples are not contaminated—which could otherwise
negatively influence a patient’s test results or render them useless.
• In complement to providing critical information to physicians, lab
techs collaborate with other healthcare professionals to monitor a
patient’s progress and adjust treatment plans.
• For example, if a patient is receiving chemotherapy, lab technicians
may perform blood tests to monitor the patient’s response to the
treatment.
• They may also work with nurses to ensure that the patient receives
the correct medication dosage and that the treatment is not causing
adverse reactions.
Communication and Interactions
• Medical laboratory services offer essential information for diagnoses
and/or treatment plans.
• The communication and interactions between laboratory and clinical
health workers can influence physicians’ request behaviour and
treatment interventions.
• Lack of communication is a barrier to effective healthcare.
• Improved communication between clinicians and laboratory workers
is essential to changing clinicians’ attitudes about the reliability of
diagnostic tests, possibly leading to increased use of laboratory
diagnostics and, ultimately, improving patient care.
• This interface between clinicians and laboratory health workers is
complex; the two groups may communicate face-to-face or by request
and result forms, phone calls, text messages, e-mails or computerized
forms.
• The factors that influence the mode of communication and shape the
relationship between these two professional groups require further
exploration.
Identity and management Individual and professional factors
(Organizational factors) (Personal factors)

The characteristics of the clinical and

Management style: laboratory workforce of the
organization:

•Planning and implementation of •Age

regular meetings
•Monitoring and supervision systems •Level of education
•Employment policies •CPD opportunities
•Working environment •Years in service
•Position in the organisation
•Informal relationships between staffs
Three Phases of Communication
• Pre-analytical
• The testing process starts with a clinician ordering a test and
sample collection
• Analytical
• The sample is processed and analysed by laboratory staff.
• Post-analytical
• Includes transfer of results from the laboratory back to the
clinician
• Each phase consists of organisational factors, subdivided into
‘identity’ and ‘management’, as well as personal factors, subdivided
into ‘individual’ and ‘professional’.
Phases General factors Laboratory staff Clinical staff
Knowledge of Knowledge of
Availability of guideline/ availability and availability and
SOP importance of tests importance of tests
Knowledge and
Availability of test attitude to ask for Attitude towards the
Pre-analytical request tools additional information laboratory
phase: The from clinicians
interface and the
decision to use and Providing the
perform a Under-/over-requesting laboratory with
of tests by clinicians - sufficient patient
laboratory test
correctly information
Competence/education
of staff who are involved
in the request, including - Patient wishes and
the ‘intermediate health needs
worker’
Phases General factors Laboratory staff Clinical staff
Taking time for
Quality assurance Asking for additional (unplanned)
mechanism in place information discussion

Time allocated to - Patient wishes and

perform tests needs
Analytical phase:
The interface
during the (range Human resources
of) tests allocated to perform - -
tests
Availability and use of
laboratory equipment
and supplies and -
communication tools
(phone, etc.)
Phases General factors Laboratory staff Clinical staff
Knowledge of
Availability of reporting Appropriate and interpretation of test
forms timely reporting results
Post-analytical
phase: The Availability of reporting Understanding of how
interface and the guidelines, including the test results are used Trust in laboratory
period between role of the intermediate by clinicians results
the test results and health worker
clinical decision
making Patient wishes and
Meetings on test results
needs
Communication with the patients
• In addition to performing tests, medical lab technicians also often
work closely with patients.
• They may collect samples from patients or provide them with
instructions on how to prepare for a test.
• They may also answer any questions that patients have about their
tests or procedures.
Patient reaction
• Certain things are not apt each patient admitted to a hospital
• “The patient's initial reaction will depend upon his memories of
previous hospitalizations
• Knowledge frequently distorted, of hospitalizations of friends and
associates
• And/or emotional conflicts concerned with his specific illness
Patient Communication
• Medical lab technologist must have good communication skills
• Pre-analytical
• Hello and welcome
• Trust and respect
• Patient identification
• Patient orientation
• Informed consent mostly verbally but some times need to be written
• Patient preparation
• Post-analytical
• Explore and interpretation of the result and findings