Reported exposures to bacterial and viral pathogens continue to occur in all areas of the clinical laboratory. Unlike research laboratories, clinical laboratories receive and perform diagnostic testing on various specimens from patients who may have an undiagnosed infectious disease. 

Since clinical laboratories may not be aware of the pathogens present in patient specimens that they receive and perform testing on, risk assessments and mitigations should be done to address all pathogens that could be encountered. CDC recently updated the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition Appendix N – Clinical Laboratories to address the need to perform risk assessments for each instrument before and during patient testing in order to ensure safe and effective operation of clinical laboratories.

By the end of the session, attendees should be able to describe how laboratory professionals can safely perform diagnostic testing on clinical specimens by following standard precautions, including bloodborne pathogens, to provide timely diagnosis and treatment for patient care.