What is happening to laboratory medicine in Denmark?

Abstract

Abstract A number of current trends will affect and probably change laboratory medicine, as we know it. Scientific and technological developments, digital health with big data and artificial intelligence, and centralization will change the interfaces among the specialties of laboratory medicine. They might even challenge the identity of some specialties. Other trends such as demographic changes, increased complexity of health care, digital health with electronic health records, and more demanding and well-informed patients will change the way laboratory medicine specialties deliver their services. This paper discusses the possible changes of laboratory medicine in Denmark – a Scandinavian country where almost all hospitals are public. If Danish laboratories grasp the new possibilities instead of trying to avoid them, laboratory medicine is likely to prosper. Such a positive development will call upon good leadership and a genuine willingness among laboratory specialist to adapt to a future where their own specialty might be very different from today.