Hematology
 | This article contains close paraphrasing of a non-free copyrighted source, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32960959/ (Copyvios report). (August 2024) |
| System | Hematopoietic system |
|---|---|
| Subdivisions | Transfusion medicine |
| Significant diseases | Anemia, leukemia, lymphoma. |
| Significant tests | Blood film, bone marrow biopsy |
| Specialist | Hematologist |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names |
|
Occupation type | Specialty |
Activity sectors | Medicine |
| Description | |
Education required |
|
Fields of employment | Hospitals, Clinics |
Hematology (always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood.[1][2] It involves treating diseases that affect the production of blood and its components, such as blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, bone marrow, platelets, blood vessels, spleen, and the mechanism of coagulation. Such diseases might include hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, blood clots (thrombus), other bleeding disorders, and blood cancers such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma.[3] The laboratory analysis of blood is frequently performed by a medical technologist or medical laboratory scientist.
Specialization
[edit]Physicians specialized in hematology are known as hematologists or haematologists. Their routine work mainly includes the care and treatment of patients with hematological diseases, although some may also work at the hematology laboratory viewing blood films and bone marrow slides under the microscope, interpreting various hematological test results and blood clotting test results. In some institutions, hematologists also manage the hematology laboratory. Physicians who work in hematology laboratories, and most commonly manage them, are pathologists specialized in the diagnosis of hematological diseases, referred to as hematopathologists or haematopathologists. Hematologists and hematopathologists generally work in conjunction to formulate a diagnosis and deliver the most appropriate therapy if needed. Hematology is a distinct subspecialty of internal medicine, separate from but overlapping with the subspecialty of medical oncology. Hematologists may specialize further or have special interests, for example, in:
- treating bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- treating hematological malignancies such as lymphoma and leukemia (cancers)
- treating hemoglobinopathies
- the science of blood transfusion and the work of a blood bank, known as transfusion medicine
- bone marrow and stem cell transplantation
Systems-based hematology
[edit]First defined by the American Society of Hematology in 2015, systems-based hematology[4] includes initiatives to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, cost-effective care to patients with blood disorders, through efforts to:
- improve stewardship in the diagnosis and management of complex blood disorders, such as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia[5] and thrombophilia[6]
- develop programs to promote appropriate use of blood products, inferior vena cava filters[7], anticoagulants and other hematologic therapies
- improve infrastructure for accessing hematologic expertise through electronic consultation, provider education, and disorder-specific care pathways
- create preoperative anemia clinics to optimize patient hemoglobin and therefore decrease perioperative transfusion requirements[8]
Training
[edit]Starting hematologists (in the US) complete a four-year medical degree followed by three or four more years in residency or internship programs. After completion, they further expand their knowledge by spending two or three more years learning how to experiment, diagnose, and treat blood disorders.[9] Some exposure to hematopathology is typically included in their fellowship training. Job openings for hematologists require training in a recognized fellowship program to learn to diagnose and treat numerous blood-related benign conditions and blood cancers. Hematologists typically work across specialties to care for patients with complex illnesses, such as sickle cell disease, who require complex, multidisciplinary care, and to provide consultation on cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombosis and other conditions that can occur in hospitalized patients.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Hematology". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "What is Hematology?". News-Medical.net. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Hermatology". American Medical Association. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ Wallace PJ, Connell NT, Abkowitz JL. The role of hematologists in a changing United States health care system. Blood. 2015 Apr 16;125(16):2467-70. doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-12-615047. Epub 2015 Mar 6. PMID: 25746327; PMCID: PMC4467883.
- ^ Smythe MA, Koerber JM, Mehta TP, Forsyth LL, Conger E, Corbets LR, Mattson JC. Assessing the impact of a heparin-induced thrombocytopenia protocol on patient management, outcomes and cost. Thromb Haemost. 2012 Nov;108(5):992-8. doi: 10.1160/TH12-05-0289. Epub 2012 Sep 5. PMID: 22955669.
- ^ Lim MY, Greenberg CS. Inpatient thrombophilia testing: Impact of healthcare system technology and targeted clinician education on changing practice patterns. Vasc Med. 2018 Feb;23(1):78-79. doi: 10.1177/1358863X17742509. Epub 2017 Nov 20. PMID: 29153040.
- ^ Baadh AS, Zikria JF, Rivoli S, Graham RE, Javit D, Ansell JE. Indications for inferior vena cava filter placement: do physicians comply with guidelines? J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2012 Aug;23(8):989-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2012.04.017. Epub 2012 Jun 13. PMID: 22698970.
- ^ a b May JE, Irelan PC, Boedeker K, Cahill E, Fein S, Garcia DA, Hicks LK, Lawson J, Lim MY, Morton CT, Rajasekhar A, Shanbhag S, Zumberg MS, Plovnick RM, Connell NT. Systems-based hematology: highlighting successes and next steps. Blood Adv. 2020 Sep 22;4(18):4574-4583. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002947. PMID: 32960959; PMCID: PMC7509880.
- ^ "Resources for Medical Students and Residents". Hematology.org. American Society of Hematology. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
