Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to provide the essential elements to guide the student in the field of laboratory diagnostics as a basic care service in the clinical path of diagnosis and treatment. The training, also envisaged "on site", is divided into a general part and a specialized part with the aim of making the diagnosis process as a whole known by integrating organizational, technical and methodological knowledge, with diagnostic algorithms, test performance and interpretation of results in order to provide essential knowledge for orientation in the world of laboratory diagnostics.

The texts are essential but complete for understanding and guidance within the training path and are represented by the "diagnostic paths" proposed by national and international accredited scientific societies. The updating of diagnostic paths through the consultation of online Databases is an integral part of the training.
• "Immunometric analyzes: theoretical bases and clinical applications" C.Dotti and A. Fortunato Ed.PICCIN
• "Hematological Cytology in Automation" G.Zini and A.Di Mario VERDUCI Editore

The student acquires the fundamental principles for the understanding of the logic that underlies the choice of technologies and diagnostic criteria that are applied, in the laboratory field, in daily practice.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: it is expected that the student acquires at the end of the course a critical orientation also on the ethical, organizational, technical and management aspects that represent the real life of the laboratory Analysis
Making judgments: the student is expected to express himself consciously and critically on the choice of the most appropriate technologies and diagnostic tests.
Communication skills: it is necessary to know how to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; demonstrate ability to summarize and present information; demonstrate to be able to communicate and present effectively and objectively, using appropriate scientific language, information and results obtained and to draw the appropriate conclusions from them.
Learning skills: ability to read, understand and comment on a scientific text of Laboratory Medicine and health technology assessment.

The course does not require particular skills, except those derived from previous courses of study, but a good knowledge of biochemistry and statistics facilitate the training course.
An adequate property of language and a mastery of scientific terminology is needed.

Traditional frontal lessons, work groups and laboratory experiences. The lessons of the course are supported by activities on the D.I.R. with: slides, scientific articles, recommended readings, commented exercises, tests of acquired skills. In the lectures will be presented some diagnostic paths and technologies mainly used.
Group work and on-site lessons are planned with the aim of entering into the merits of the professional reality aimed at the realization of the process outcome.
Interventions by experts in specific sectors are planned to increase the degree of competence and to promote communication and the exchange of knowledge. During the lectures, tests of the acquired skills are carried out on a monthly basis.

Moments of confrontation, discussion and resumption of complex topics are planned with the aim of evaluating the degree of ongoing learning, analyzing more in detail some aspects not sufficiently developed

The objective of the exam consists in verifying the level of knowledge and deepening of the topics of the program and the reasoning capacity developed by the student. The final exam consists of a oral exam and includes the development of a diagnostic path in one of the areas covered by the course program. To achieve sufficient, the student will have to demonstrate knowledge of the basics of the exam topic: the basics of the laboratory method applied for and its use in the laboratory process. For excellence the student must know all the laboratory processes in which the metod is applied and propose solutions to address critical issues and non-conformities, with adequate terminology, synthesis skills and specific knowledge. The outcome of the exam test, espressed out of thirty, will be communicated at the end of exam.

Objectives: The first part of the course aims to provide students with information on the roles and general organization of laboratory activities
In the second part the specialized arguments are presented, including methods, technologies and innovations that can support the laboratory activity.
General Part
Introduction to the course in Methodologies of the Clinical Laboratory
(6 hours)
The role of laboratory activities in the framework of diagnosis and treatment facilities.
Corporateization in the National Health Service
The Analysis Laboratory: role, organization, work environment, safety.
The management economy. Efficiency and effectiveness criteria.
The principles of management control in the Analysis Laboratory.
Economic, organizational, ethical and social responsibilities
Financing systems
The Quality Management System in the clinical laboratory (2 hours)
The biological sample (2 hours)
The biological sample: patient preparation and collection of biological materials: venous, capillary or arterial sampling. Sample type whole blood, plasma or serum Withdrawal of other biological materials. Preanalytic variability.Treatment and conservation of biological materials
Separative (centrifugation) and analytical techniques. Conservation of biological materials. Causes of alteration of the sample.
Postanalytic variability (2 hours): analytical results, reporting, methods of reporting and transmission. Meaning of laboratory tests, quantities and units of measurement
Analytical methodologies (2 hours)
Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, Immunometry, RIA, Capillary Electrophoresis, Chromatography, Photometry, Turbidimetry, Nephelometry, Fluorimetry, Luminometry.
Diagnostic techniques in molecular biology (2 hour)
Specialist part
Endocrinological diagnostics and prenatal diagnostics during pregnancy (2 hours)
Protein diagnostics (2 hours)
Separative techniques, instrumental technologies, diagnostics and interpretation of results
Acute-phase protein and electrophoretic trace: the analysis of Acute-phase proteins and interpretation of pathological electrophoretic trace;
Physical chemistry (2 hours)
Analytical methodologies of other biological matrices and interpretation of results
Hematology (2 hours)
Diagnostic methods and algorithms, separation and cell counting technologies, interpretation of results and reporting
Cytofluorimetric analysis (2 hours)
The use of monoclonal antibodies for the identification of cell populations in hematology and other disciplines. Analytical methods, sample preparation, interpretation of the dot plots and final report
Elements of diagnostic techniques in coagulation (2 hours)
Analytical methodologies, technologies and algorithms in the diagnosis of basic and specialized coagulation. Monitoring of oral anticoagulant therapy and new anticoagulant drugs (DOAC)
Autoimmunity (2 hours)
Analytical methodologies, specific technologies, interpretation of fluorescence patterns, reporting
Allergology (2 hours)
Analytical methodologies, specific technologies, interpretation of results and reporting in allergy diagnostics,
The Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine laboratory (4 hours)
The organization of transfusion medicine in Italy. The main techniques (automatic or manual) used in the Immunohaematological field, and their applications in Immunohaematological diagnostics: agglutination, fixation of the complement, inhibition of agglutination (test tube, solid phase, gel)
Immunogenetics of Transplants (2 hours)
Toxicology (4 hours)
Diagnostic techniques in toxicology.
Definition of drug and poison. Absorption, distribution, excretion of toxic substances.
Therapeutic drug monitoring. Analytical and forensic toxicology, Interpretation of toxicological data.
Algorithm of toxicological research.
Doping and drugs.
The control of the alcoholic rate and the guide
The "Point of Care" (2 hours)
Analytical methods, organization, traceability of data
The technical management of the laboratory in urgent and routine analysis (2 hours)
The guarantee of the quality of the analytical data, CQI and VEQ, the governance of the analytical process in the organization of health care, the TAT (Turn Around Time) The "urgent" tests.
The laboratory of the future (2 hours)
New technologies: the application of robotics in the efficiency of the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical path. The "Core Lab" organization

Training in the field: some lessons will be carried out "on the field" in the premises of the Analysis Laboratory with on-site activities.

Acquisition of in-depth knowledge on the concepts related to diagnostic paths Acquisition of mastery of technical and organizational elements in the field of Analysis Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding by gathering the essential elements to satisfy the diagnostic request by using resources at best.
Autonomy of judgment. Acquisition of independent judgment in the evaluation of data in the first and second level scientific literature.
Communication skills. Demonstrate the ability to extract and synthesise relevant information, refinement of the disciplinary vocabulary and the ability to describe, with clarity and critical sense, the decision-making processes
Demonstrate ability to summarize and present information also with graphs.
Learning skills Acquisition of the ability to deepen and critically update objectives and / or the results of a diagnostic process according to a quantitative and qualitative approach.