Upsala J Med Sci 91: 216, 1986 

Clinical Chemistry in Primary Health Care 
Relationship between hospital laboratories and general practice 

Questionnaire answers f r o m  33 directors of clinical chemistry laboratories 

Bertel Berg and Nils Tryding 
Department of Clinical Chemistry, Central Hospital, Kristianstad, Sweden 

1. Who has the formal and o r  practical responsibility for clinical chemistry 
in primary health care within the region (for choice of methods, laboratory 

equipment, quality control, instrument service)? 
16 hospital laboratories have formal and practical responsibility, 8 not 
practical but formal, 7 practical but not formal, 2 neither formal nor 
practical. 

2. Number of professional laboratory technicians per region working in primary 
health care/number of regions. 
0 / 4  1/6 l$-2/3 35-4/3 5-75 >8 technicians/l2 regions 

3. Special systems for sample transport from primary health care to hospital 
laboratories are established in 27 regions. 

4. Transport of analytical results from the hospital laboratory: By post 
and/or by car. 

5. Postgraduate training in clinical chemistry for primary health care staff 
is organized in 1 3  regions for doctors (often sporadic) 
in 11 for laboratory technicians (often sporadic) 
in 14 regions for other personnel 

6. Number of hospital personnel posts designated for instruction to primary 
health care staff/number of regions: 
0/15 0.3/1 0.5/7 1/6 2/2 4 post-/I region 
7 regions also have instruction for microbiology. 

7. Joint meetings between personnel in primary health care and clinical 
chemistry have been held between doctors in 8 regions. 

8. Will more analyses be performed locally in primary health care with new 
techniques for clinical chemistry near the patient? 
Most regions are positive to new techniques but all emphasize the need 

for personnel training and quality assessment. 

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