TORONTO, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - April 24th - April 30th is National Medical Laboratory Week – a week that promotes awareness and understanding of the role of medical laboratory professionals in Canada's healthcare system. The Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories (OAML) is proud to highlight, the contribution of its medical laboratory professionals to the OAML's Guidelines for Clinical Laboratory Practice Program. These guidelines are written by medical laboratory professionals to provide physicians with the necessary information to support the right patients receiving the right test at the right time.
The OAML Guidelines support improved patient outcomes by encouraging better-informed, clinically relevant decisions about laboratory test ordering and more effective use of health care resources. These guidelines are distributed by OAML member laboratories to over 19,000 physicians throughout Ontario. They provide community physicians and nurse practitioners with guidelines for the appropriate ordering of lab tests, information about specimen collection, interpretation of the results and understanding the test limitations. This program has guided clinicians for over 20 years and is just one of the ways that community laboratories support appropriate, high quality care for over 13 million Ontarians.
"Community laboratories are encouraged by campaigns such as Choosing Wisely Canada, which is also designed to help clinicians and patients engage in conversations about the most appropriate tests, treatments and procedures based on individual needs," said Paul Gould, CEO of the OAML. "We applaud these efforts and believe strongly that the appropriate use of testing is in the best interest of Ontario patients and the healthcare system as a whole. That is what our Guidelines for Clinical Laboratory Practice Program is about."
Community laboratories will continue to place a priority on leveraging our strong relationships and information sharing networks with over 19,000 physicians served by our member organizations to encourage appropriate testing and informed clinical decision making. Our province-wide network of specimen collection centres provides us the opportunity to encourage the 55,000 Ontarians that visit these centres daily to engage in dialogue with their clinicians about unnecessary testing.
The OAML was established in 1978 as the voice of Ontario's community medical laboratory sector. OAML member laboratories provide 95% of all diagnostic testing for patients outside of hospitals. The Association is composed of 6 members that operate 17 accredited testing facilities and 338 licensed specimen collection centres across Ontario.
SOURCE Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories
Image with caption: "Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories (CNW Group/Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160429_C6413_PHOTO_EN_673105.jpg
Chief Executive Officer: Paul J. Gould, 416-250-8555, [email protected], www.oaml.com
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