Clinical chemistry reporting. Problems and proposals.

The completed report is the most obvious interface between the laboratory and the clinician. An unattractive, uninformative, or confusing report may fail to do justice to an excellent analytical service. Unfortunately, relatively little effort has been expended on achieving the best possible report, and individual enthusiasm and initiative has led to widely diverse practices in reporting. There is an urgent need for standardisation of report formats and it is suggested that all reports should include guidance on abnormality, be in cumulative format, and contain a realistic statement of analytical reliability.