Leadership and Management in Clinical Biochemistry.

Challenging times lay ahead for laboratory medicine in Europe due to at least three factors. 1) The scientific and technological developments increase the diagnostic possibilities but at the same time they will also change the interfaces among the different specialties of laboratory medicine. 2) The demographic changes with a more elderly population increase the demands for laboratory tests. 3) The increased complexity of the health care system combined with more well-informed patients calls for more coherent clinical pathways across the different sectors, for an increased focus on patient safety, and for a stronger involvement of patients and relatives. These issues cause both threats and opportunities for laboratory medicine - and they have to be handled in a situation with limited economic growth and shortage of money. This calls for a new organization of laboratory medicine in many hospitals as well as for a more active involvement of laboratory medicine in the clinical work and in the contact with the patients. Laboratory medicine will need dedicated and skillful leadership in order to prosper and grow during these challenging changes.