OasisLMS

The recent COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of global healthcare curriculum and medical laboratory science education. It provided new learning platforms that enabled medical professionals to revisit patient diagnosis checklists and therapeutic management. Basic and advanced biomarkers were utilized to gauge the cytokine storm, which was identified as one of the causes of morbidities and mortalities at the height of the pandemic. As such, inflammatory markers are put into the spotlight. Their role in acute phases is again studied to determine its consistency in differentiating bacterial from viral infection. For instance, Creactive protein, a historical acute-phase reactant, is still requested as a supplemental test together with the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) to complete the initial wellness verification of the patient. Adjunct inflammatory markers are used to support the primary tests while therapeutics highly consider the outcomes of the laboratory tests. Likewise, inflammatory markers are included in profiling dreaded diseases such as in cancer diagnosis. Several studies have been made explaining the significance of these biomarkers in defining the degree of malignancy and possible metastasis. Correlational panels are developed linking the biochemical inflammatories with other blood parameters to predict oncologic sequel and disease severity. Hence, the function of the clinical laboratory is indeed vital in providing absolute reliability of the human well-being. Reference ranges of the biochemical inflammatory markers should be clearly delineated to avert diagnostic and treatment pitfalls. Assays should pass routine quality control monitoring to ensure the accuracy of procedures. While medical laboratory scientists continuously participate in upskilling programs to acquire essential competencies in performing their duties and responsibilities, it is inherent for professional organizations to design communication protocols that cascade updated information relevant to the daily work of the healthcare workforce.

Faculty/Authors

CME/CMLE Credit: 0.5
Estimated Completion Time: 0.5 hour
Format: Online Educational Activity

Accreditation Statement: The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

Credit Designation Statement: The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Instructions

To claim CME/CMLE credit for the exercise, do the following:

1. Review the Technical Considerations.
2. Review the Faculty Disclosures.
3. Click Go to Course to view an overview of the modules in this course.
4. Click Access to begin the course.
5. Submit the course Evaluation.
6. Enter the maximum number of credits offered and click Claim CME to register credit.

Technical Considerations

Release Date: 11/03/2025
Review Date:
Expiration Date: