- Analyze the results and relay them to physicians
Medical Technology Practice Defined RA5527
Definition and Nature of Medical Technology
ANNE FAGELSON
Branch of Medicine concerned with the performance of
laboratory determinations and analysis used in the
diagnosis and treatment of diseases and maintenance of
health.
RUTH HEINEMANN
The application of principles of natural, physical and
biological sciences to the performance of lab procedures
which aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
NORMA J WALTERS
The health profession concerned with performing
laboratory analysis in view of obtaining information
necessary in the diagnosis and treatment of disease as
well as in the maintenance of good health.
SCIENCE
is primarily concerned with the study of the natural world
and the interrelationship among the biological,
psychological, and even the social world.
TECHNOLOGY
- Physical artefact, machine, or instrument
- Activity or means to accomplish a goal
- As knowledge
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment,
monitoring of diseases. As such, it has linkages with many
other disciplines for specific diagnostic or therapeutic
purposes:
- Testing plays a crucial role in the detection,
diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
- Looks for the presences of bacteria, parasites, and
other microorganisms in the body, abnormal cells,
and presence of other fluids.
- Analysis of chemical contents in the specimen.
- Prepare specimens for examination and cell
count.
- Use of sophisticated and automated equipment
and computerized instruments.
(Philippine Medical Technology Act of 1969)
Section 2 of the RA, as amended by R.A. 6132, P.D. 498,
and P.D. 1534 (Practice of Medical Technology)
- Examination of tissues, secretions, and excretions
of the human body and body fluids by various
laboratory procedures and techniques.
- Blood banking procedures and techniques
- Clinical research involving human beings requiring
the use of and/or application of medical
technology knowledge and procedure.
- Preparations and standardization of reagents,
standards, stains and others (exclusively for the
use of their lab).
- Lab quality control
- Collection and preservation of specimens
Medical Technology Code of Ethics (Revised by
Rodolfo Rabor)
Responsibility and Integrity
As I enter into the practice of Medical Technology, I
shall accept the responsibilities inherent to being a
professional; I shall uphold the law and shall not
engage in illegal work nor cooperate with anyone so
engaged; I shall avoid associating or being identified
with any enterprise of questionable character;
Objective and Teamwork
I shall work and act in a strict spirit of fairness to
employer, clients, contractors, employees and in a
and
spirit of personal helpfulness and fraternity toward
other members of the profession;
Respect
I shall use only honorable means of competition for
professional employment or services and shall refrain
from unfairly injuring, directly or indirectly, the professional
reputation, projects or business of a fellow medical
technologist;
Reliability, Accuracy, Fairness, and Honesty
I shall accept employment from more than one employer
only when there is no conflict of interest; I shall perform
professional work in a manner that merits full confidence
and trust carried out with absolute reliability, accuracy,
fairness and honesty; I shall review the professional work
of other medical technologists, when requested, fairly and
in confidence whether they are subordinates or
employees, authors of proposals for grants or contracts,
authors of technical papers or other publications or
involved in litigation;
Network
I shall advance the profession by exchanging general
information and experience with fellow medical
technologists and other professionals and by contributing
to the work of professional organizations;
Respect and Privacy
I shall restrict my praises, criticisms, views and opinions
within constructive limits and shall not use the knowledge
I know for selfish ends; I shall treat any information I
acquired about individuals in the course of my work as
strictly confidential, and may be divulged only to
authorized persons or entities or with consent of the
individual when necessary;
Law Abiding
I shall report any infractions of these principles of
professional conduct to the authorities responsible of
enforcement of applicable laws or regulations, or to the
Ethics Committee of the Philippine Association of Medical
Technologists as may be appropriate.
Professionalism
To these principles, I hereby subscribe and pledge to
conduct myself at all times in a manner befitting the dignity
of my profession.
TYPES OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES
1. PHYSICIAN’S OFFICE LABORATORY (POL)
• Performs on-site diagnostic tests of specimen
from patients
• Ambulatory laboratory performing
• Low complexity tests
2. HOSPITAL LABORATORY
• performing high volumes of routine tests
procedures
• May also serves as a reference lab for local
community
• STAT (Short Turn-Around Time)
• POINT-OF-CARE TESTING
- perform at the patient’s bedside using
portable instruments
- gives immediate results
3. REFERENCE LABORATORY
• Conduct specialized testing
• Specimens may be sent from all over the
country
• Usually contains complete sample analysis
and testing than POL
• Term is applied to any laboratory that does
additional analysis or testing of sample or
specimen
Why do laboratory scientists need to perform
laboratory testing?
• It is critical for appropriate patient treatment
• Health care procedure to gain information
that is not found in the patient’s history
Reasons for Ordering Laboratory Testing
1. To assign a diagnosis
- differentiate diagnosis test of the patient
- Confirm a clinical diagnosis
2. Prevention and early detection of diseases
- Routine keeping the patient healthy
3. Ongoing assessment of the patient’s
progress and treatment
- Monitoring the patient
- Requires frequent blood testing
- Verify the efficiency of the medical
- Treatment
PHASES OF LABORATORY TESTING
PRE-ANALYTICAL PHASE
- Proper specimen collection
- Specimen handling and identification
- Rigorous control measure to avoid errors
- Preparation of samples for testing
- Proper choice of test request
ANALYTICAL PHASE
- Performance of the test that have been
ordered
- Maintenance and calibration of lab equipment
and instruments
 - Quality control of kits
POST-ANALYTICAL PHASE
- Recording and reporting of lab results
- Storage and disposal of specimen after
testing
- Patient notified of their results
Roles and Responsibilities of Medical Technology
Professionals
Perform Clinical Laboratory Testing
- Equipped with resources necessary for
performing procedures or any kind of
laboratory testing
- Performs from the basic to the most
advanced laboratory tests
Perform Special Procedures
- Special procedures in diagnosing diseases
with advanced diagnostic equipment
Ensures Accuracy and Precision of Results
- Impacts the interpretation of results by the
physician to provide proper medication for
treatment
Be Honest in Practice
- A medical technologist must be honest in
conveying or reporting the results of any
laboratory procedure
- Must be honest at all times in the conduct of
test procedures to come up with accurate and
precise results
Ensure Timely Delivery of Results
- Some request may require priority for
immediate release of results. Check notations
on STATS or Source of Request
Demonstrate Professionalism
- a medical technologist must be able to
perform his or her functions according to the
professional Code of Ethics for medical
technology professionals
- must adhere to the Laws and Regulations
governing the practice of medical technology
and should not exploit its function and beyond
its boundaries
Uphold Confidentiality
- ensuring patient’s confidentiality with regards
to personal information and laboratory results
Collaborate with Other Health Care Professionals
Conduct Research
- Assessing and revisiting knowledge
- For the development of skills, the field, and
may be used as future reference for patient
care.
Involvement in Health Promotion Programs
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
According to section 2 of R.A. 5527, a medical technologist
is a person who engages in the work of medical technology
under the supervision of a pathologist or a licensed
physician authorized by the Department of Health in places
where there is no pathologist.
A medical technologist should have a degree in Bachelor
of Science in Medical Technology (now known as Bachelor
of Science in Medical Laboratory Science) or Bachelor of
Science in Hygiene (now known as Bachelor of Science in
Public Health). Moreover, he/ she should have passed the
Board Examinations for Medical Technologists.
PATHOLOGIST
Section 2 of R.A. 5527 defines a pathologist as a duly
registered physician who is specially trained in methods of
laboratory medicine, or the gross and microscopic study
and interpretation of tissues, secretions, and excretions of
the human body and its functions in order to diagnose
disease, follow its course, determine the effectivity
of treatment, ascertain cause of death and advance
medicine by means of research.
 MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
A laboratory technician is a person certified and registered
with the Board of Medical Technology as qualified to assist
a medical technologist and/or qualified pathologist in the
practice of medical technology
PHLEBOTOMIST
A phlebotomist is an individual trained to draw blood either
for laboratory tests or for blood donations.
In the Philippines, a medical technologist is required to be
skilled in phlebotomy.
Nowadays, phlebotomy is a skill confined not only to
medical technologists but also to other health care
practitioners as well, provided that they were given
certification by a reputed certifying or training body.
BLOOD BANK TECHNOLOGISTS
They are medical technologists who are specialized in the
process of testing and preparation of blood and blood
products for transfusion.
CYTOTECHNOLOGISTS
Laboratory practitioners specialized in the preparation of
cell slides for microscopic study and detection of cellular
abnormalities
HISTOTECHNOLOGISTS
Histotechnologists are medical technologists who are
specialized in preparation of solid tissue samples for
examination under the microscope
NUCLEAR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
Nuclear Medical Technologist is a health care who works
alongside nuclear physicians apply their knowledge of
radiation physics and safety regulations.
TOXICOLOGIST
Toxicologist studies the effects or substances on the
physiological functions of human being, animals, and plant
to develop data for use in consumer production and
industrial safety.
ROLES OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH
CARE
Laboratory Diagnosis of Medical Conditions
The laboratory procedures carried out by medical
technologists involve examination of bodily fluids and
samples that were collected from the patients. The
findings from the laboratory examinations are oftentimes
used by clinicians to evaluate the health status of patients.
The laboratory findings are indispensable tools used by
physicians for either confirming or ruling out diagnosis of
a suspected clinical condition.
Monitoring of Treatments
There are many laboratory examinations that are used for
evaluating a treatment regimen. Laboratory values are
often used by physicians to have an educated
assessment on whether the treatment plan is helpful to the
patient or not. Moreover, values are used to gauge if a
treatment plan is efficient enough. Therefore,
the laboratory findings are important in the establishment
of the patient’s prognosis or the patient’s likelihood of
surviving or recovering from a clinical condition.
Prevention and Control of Diseases and Infection
As mentioned earlier, medical technologists play an
indispensable role in the detection of clinical conditions
including infectious diseases. Detection and identification
of infectious cases will significantly help in the isolation
procedures which, in case, will prevent further spread of
the disease in the community.
Preparation of Safe Blood and Blood products
Medical technologists, specifically blood bank
technologists, are primarily responsible for the preparation
of blood and blood products that are safe for transfusion.
The technologists make sure that the products for
transfusion are free from infectious diseases that can be
transmitted via transfusion. Furthermore, they are also
responsible for ensuring that the blood product to be
transfused is compatible with the patient.
Biological and Medical Research
Medical Laboratory Science or Medical Technology, as an
interdisciplinary profession, can carry collaborative
research projects to detect problems and provide
solutions, particularly in the fields of health care and public
health.