INTRODUCTION

Health care delivery is no longer a simple process of examining the patient and giving
him a prescription. Over the years there has been rapid expansion in the various branches of
health care services. As part of this expansion process and the explosion of scientific medical
knowledge, laboratory diagnosis has gained tremendous importance in today's practice.
Laboratory diagnosis has been yielding useful information to clinicians, both in the
diagnosis of an illness as well as the monitoring of treatment. These have been extensively used
throughout the world where people derive various benefits from these simple and economical
tests. The utility of these tests has been especially recognized in the management of lifestyle
diseases such as diabetes mellitus and other cardiovascular ailments and the extensive use of
these tests has resulted in the marketing of a variety of test reagents with variable technology.
With that said importance, the absence of a manual will make it very difficult for many
laboratories to generate reliable results. That is why in order to achieve our institutions
objective, a series of subject-specific guidelines incorporated in this manual suiting the
requirements of the different laboratory sections have been developed.
The Divine Mercy Wellness Centers (DMWCs) Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Manual shall reflect its status being a comprehensive diagnostic facility having a
tertiary service capability accredited by the Department of Health (DOH). That through our
modern facility, it shall offer extensive testing capabilities in the following areas, namely: Blood
Bank, Chemistry, Hematology, Histopathology, Cytology, Microbiology and Serology. Testing
capabilities include a vast majority of routine tests, as well as a variety of esoteric procedures.
This manual also includes a clear, concise and comprehensive written instruction of a method or
procedure which has been agreed upon and authorized as the operating policy of the department.
It mainly contains detailed descriptions of each analytical method essential for maintaining the
same analytical quality over a long period of time.
The contents of the manual are as follows:
(1) Introduction
(2) Organizational Statements
(3) Staffing and Job Description
(4) Services
(5) Standard Operating Procedures
(6) Definitions and Appendix
(7) References
This manual is designed to give an overall view of the services available in the
department. It is intended as a quick reference guide for all Pathology users. It has been prepared
by the supervisory staff for the purpose of providing both general and specific information
dealing with a variety of laboratory procedures, reports, specimen identification and submission
of specimens, the handling of emergency requests and the technical coverage of the laboratories.
The laboratory is a tool and, like any tool, it can be most effective if used selectively,
efficiently and properly. In a constantly evolving and changing environment, it is obviously not
possible to have a manual that is complete, up to date, and final. This manual should help

answer most queries, but there will always be questions that need to be individually researched
and answered.