Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Delivering Health Care - Part 2
Lecture:Laboratory, Pathology, Radiology, and Ancillary Services
Slide content:Laboratory Pathology - 3 Clinical microbiology study of microorganisms The lab may use culture methods to grow and identify organisms Forensic pathology Specialized laboratory for medical and legal issues Molecular pathology Development of molecular and genetic approaches to the diagnosis and classification of human tumors Design and validation of predictive biomarkers 6
Slide notes:Other branches of pathology include clinical microbiology, which is the study of microorganisms. Microorganisms are abundant in nature and include bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. These entities are studied by bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, and virology, respectively. The microbiology lab uses various methods to culture, grow, and identify organisms. Forensic pathology is a specialized discipline pertaining to medical-legal issues and is often used to determine the cause of death, especially when the cause of death is not thought to be natural. Molecular pathology deals with the development of molecular and genetic approaches to the diagnosis and classification of human tumors. This field relies on the design and validation of predictive biomarkers to determine treatment response and disease progression. We now understand that individuals have different genetic constitutions and that this influences the susceptibility of individuals to develop cancer. Molecular pathology also looks at environmental and lifestyle factors that increase a patients risk of cancer. 6