Cost of carrying out clinical diagnostic tests.

The total cost of performing diagnostic tests in a hospital laboratory during one year was assessed. The largest single item of expenditure was the cost of the salaries of the technical staff, while the cost of reagents (including radiopharmaceuticals) was relatively small. The total costs of carrying out diagnostic tests are much higher than is often recognised by those who request them. The use of relatively expensive, commercially available assay kits saves time and gives good value for money. It may be worth taking this into account when planning hospital budgets.