Abstract
Purpose: Though Korean healthcare services have been upgraded, infection and fire had been broken out in general hospitals. And higher concerns about quality assessment made it to clinical laboratory design guideline studies. So, this study investigates the facilities, equipment and personnel of laboratory medicine focusing on more than five hundred fifty bed hospital, and contributes to make guidelines for safety and efficiency in lab. Methods: Questionnaires to supervisor technologist and field surveys to medical laboratories in korean hospitals have been conducted for the data collection. 16 answers have been analysed statistically by MS Excel program. Results: Most of the sample tests such as hematology, clinical chemistry, immunology, transfusion, urinalysis, microbiology and molecular diagnosis are performed by more than 80% in large sized general hospital laboratory. In the test methods, automatic analyzers are used up to 80%, total laboratory automation up to 43% in clinical chemistry and immunology, and manual tests in all sorts of the test. There are placed in single lab or two and three labs above the ground, which are all in semi-open lab. There is some correlation with the number of specimens and the number of lab people depending on the number of hospital beds. Laboratory environment shows that work distance is good, but evacuation path width, visibility, separation of staff area from automatic analyzer, and equipment installations are needed to have more spaces and gears. Most of the infection controls are equipped with mechanical ventilation, air-conditioning, washbasin and wastewater separation, BSC installation and negative pressure lab room. Implications: Although the laboratory space area is calculated considering the number of hospital beds, type of tests and number of staff, hospital's expertise and the samples numbers per year should be taken into account in the planning of the hospital.