[Consulting work performed by the hospital laboratory. The usefulness of the Laboratory Information Office in Keio University Hospital].

To establish a consultation office for handling questions from physicians and other hospital staff is one way to provide laboratory information for effective utilization of laboratory data. Here I introduce the basis of our Laboratory Information Office in Keio University Hospital. A full-time specialized, technologist is stationed in the office. She answers inquiries using a computer database, informs physicians of abnormal laboratory findings and maintains information exhibited on the web site of the clinical laboratory in the intranet of our hospital. The number of consultations is about 280 per month. The most common area of inquiry that of immuno-serology. Cooperation between the technologist and the clinical pathologists makes it possible to respond more efficiently to the inquiries, and in the future could lead to more useful consultations with clinical physicians. In the future, mutual communication between laboratory consultation offices could be arranged to share knowledge. Also, direct consultation with patients concerning laboratory examinations should be considered, though this may be difficult to implement.