Laboratory Medicine

Laboratory medicine involves medical examination of blood, urine, feces, or other bodily fluids. This diagnosis can take place in the laboratory, but also on location, closer to the patient, by using point-of-care testing (POCT) and/or lab-on-a-chip technology (LOCT). Laboratory tests and test results provide essential added value in the form of additional information about a person's health, disease, course of disease and the effect of treatments.

For example, the results of the laboratory tests provide insight into:

functioning of vital organs such as kidneys, liver or heart;
causes of complaints such as abdominal complaints or joint complaints;
diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular disease;
disease progression;
risk factors for, for example, a heart attack, stroke or the development of a tumor;
effect of a therapy;
optimal dosage of medication;
who does and who does not (or insufficiently) benefit from treatment.