Devis Luigi, Closset Mélanie, Degosserie Jonathan, Lessire Sarah, Modrie Pauline, Gruson Damien, Favaloro Emmanuel J, Lippi Giuseppe, Mullier François, Catry Emilie
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Biochemistry, CHU UCL Namur, UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Molecular Biology, CHU UCL Namur, UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium.
J Appl Lab Med. 2025 Jan 3;10(1):113-129. doi: 10.1093/jalm/jfae087.
The use of laboratory resources has seen a substantial increase in recent years, driven by automation and emerging technologies. However, inappropriate use of laboratory testing, encompassing both overuse and underuse, poses significant challenges.
This review explores the complex interplay between patient safety, economic, and environmental factors-known as the "triple bottom line" or "3Ps" for people, profit, and planet-associated with inappropriate use of laboratory resources. The first part of the review outlines the impact of inappropriate laboratory testing on patient safety and economic outcomes. Then the review examines the available literature on the environmental impact of laboratory activities. Several practical solutions for mitigating the environmental impact of laboratories are discussed. Finally, this review emphasizes how decreasing unnecessary laboratory testing results in cost savings and environmental benefits, as evidenced by interventional studies, without compromising patient safety.
The implementation of sustainable practices in laboratories can create a virtuous circle in which reduced testing enhances cost-efficiency, reduces the environmental footprint, and ensures patient safety, thereby benefiting the 3Ps. This review highlights the critical need for appropriate laboratory resource utilization in achieving sustainability in healthcare.
近年来，在自动化和新兴技术的推动下，实验室资源的使用大幅增加。然而，实验室检测的不当使用，包括过度使用和使用不足，带来了重大挑战。
本综述探讨了与实验室资源不当使用相关的患者安全、经济和环境因素（即所谓的“三重底线”或“3P”，分别代表人、利润和地球）之间的复杂相互作用。综述的第一部分概述了不当实验室检测对患者安全和经济结果的影响。然后，综述考察了关于实验室活动环境影响的现有文献。讨论了几种减轻实验室环境影响的实际解决方案。最后，本综述强调，如干预研究所示，减少不必要的实验室检测可在不损害患者安全的情况下节省成本并带来环境效益。
在实验室实施可持续做法可形成一个良性循环，即减少检测可提高成本效益、减少环境足迹并确保患者安全，从而使“3P”受益。本综述强调了在医疗保健领域实现可持续性方面合理利用实验室资源的迫切需求。
