Development and prospect of laboratory medicine

After more than half a century and several generations' efforts, the clinical laboratories in China have developed rapidly from the workshop-style pure manual operation and limited number of assays to the automated, intelligent modern laboratory. In addition to the great development of working condition, environment and equipment, the number of professional staffs, their educational background and technical ability have also been greatly improved. These have doubled the varieties, throughput and decreased turnaround time of testing assays in order to meet the clinical requests. At the same time, the concept of laboratory medicine has changed from focusing on specimen to focusing on patients and clinical needs. The scientific ethics and practical experience of laboratory management and quality control have also been enriched, which provide more reliable and convenient services for patients and clinicians. Nowadays, the rapid development of detection technology, as well as artificial intelligence, network communication and big data which based on computer science, have brought enormousopportunities and challenges to the development of laboratory medicine. Key words: Medical laboratory medicine; Clinical laboratory techniques; Automation, laboratory; Artificial Intelligence; Quality control