PERAN LABORATORIUM DALAM DIAGNOSIS DAN PENATALAKSANAAN KASUS KASUS PENYAKIT TROPIK DAN INFEKSI

Infectious disease is still a health problem in theworld, especially in tropical and developing countries, including Indonesia. The diagnosis of tropical disease cases mostly are still based on the main of clinical symptoms, that is fever. Among 900 fever patients, 21% of the disease were diagnosed by clinical examinations, 35% by laboratory tests and 40% were diagnosed as fever of unknown origin (FUO). One forth of the FUO patients were definitively diagnosed after specific laboratory tests, but the use of the specific tests in daily practice were relatively rare. The tests ordered by physicians to the Department of Central Clinical Laboratory Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital Malang, are mostly hematology and blood chemical tests (59.54% and 21.52%). Specific tests for microbiology and parasitology were only 3.15% and 0.46% respectively. Fever patients who not definitively diagnosed, often received unnecessary treatments or medications (over-treatment), those are actually dangerous to them. To improve the quality of clinical management, the traditional laboratory service should be changed tobe the interactive laboratory service. It needs a  role, understanding and good collaboration between clinical practitioners who know the basic sciences and the pre/para-clinical scientists who interest to the clinical phenomenon. The aim of the change is to get the more scientific, ethical and professional medical services. Key words:Laboratory medicine, diagnosis,management, infectious disease