[How can we contribute to Yamagata University Hospital as clinical laboratory physicians?].

In September, 2007, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare legislated that clinical laboratory doctors can advocate the clinical laboratory in hospitals and clinical offices. The decision was monumentous, and we, clinical laboratory physicians, can see patients from April, 2008. Although our roles and/or details have not officially been determined, we must definite the contribution of clinical laboratory doctors. One of our plans is to set up a conference room in the Division of Clinical Laboratory to explain their medical tests to patients. Laboratory data are not always explained in detail by doctors, since they are busy and do not have enough time to see patients. Subsequently, clinical laboratory physicians will be able to comply with patients' wishes for medical testing. In addition, to prevent the development of lifestyle-related diseases and their related metabolic syndrome in Japanese people, a new specified health checkup system has recently been established by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the system will start from April, 2008. Since more than 20 million people from 40 to 74 years old are estimated to undergo this health checkup, total quality assurance in the clinical laboratory is required to provide accurate and precise test values by the government. Therefore, our clinical laboratory physicians should play a central role to guarantee the specified health checkup system.