Decentralized testing in the 1990s. A survey of United States hospitals.

Laboratory testing is increasingly moving out of the central laboratory and into other areas of the hospital. Many factors are driving this trend, but most revolve around the desire for prompt, medical decision making guided by quick, convenient on-site or decentralized testing using emerging new technologies. This article reviews a 1993 independent survey on decentralized testing throughout US hospitals. It discusses and quantifies various aspects of decentralized testing technology as well as identifies general trends.