Abstract
European experts in clinical laboratory sciences have different professional backgrounds, and the development of expertise in this field started more than 100 years ago. A recent survey on 40 professional societies in 31 countries (1) revealed that of the 30,000 members, the majority studied medicine (40.1%), followed by chemistry (27.2%), and pharmacy (21.1%). In most European countries the same experts cover not only clinical chemistry but also haematology, haemostaseology, immunology and transfusiology. The picture looks much more heterogeneous if the different countries are analysed separately. Regarding only those 10 countries with more than 10 mio inhabitants - representing 80% of the European population, medicine is the background of most members in Italy and Russia, where as biochemists and chemists form the majority in the UK, the Netherlands and Romania, and pharmacists.
In Germany, both professional communities are equally distributed, with medicine being predominant in former West Germany and chemistry in the Eastern part of the country. The majority of members in Poland and Spain have studied pharmacy, whereas France and Yugoslavia have special educations. In most countries each hospital has its own laboratory. This is managed by an academic professional in those countries with relatively large hospitals (the United Kingdom, Luxemburg, Spain, Sweden), and a high number of professionals (Bulgaria, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia, Yugoslavia). In many countries less than half of the laboratories are directed by members of their scientific societies. Interesting enough these include Germany and Austria, two countries, which are supposed to take a lead in laboratory automation in Europe.
