title: The future of laboratory medicine - a 2014 perspective.
abstract: Predicting the future is a difficult task. Not surprisingly, there are many examples and assumptions that have proved to be wrong. This review surveys the many predictions, beginning in 1887, about the future of laboratory medicine and its sub-specialties such as clinical chemistry and molecular pathology. It provides a commentary on the accuracy of the predictions and offers opinions on emerging technologies, economic factors and social developments that may play a role in shaping the future of laboratory medicine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 7.103 Founders Pavilion, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: kricka@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kricka
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 7.103 Founders Pavilion, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Tracey G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Polsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Children's Medical Center, 1935 Medical District Drive, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
authors.forename: Jason Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Kimmel Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Universita' La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fortina
mesh_terms: D057205:Automation, Laboratory; D002624:Chemistry, Clinical / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000639:trends; D057089:Pathology, Molecular / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D040901:Proteomics; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Clinical chemistry; Future; Laboratory medicine; Molecular pathology; Predictions