2002 Volume 29 Issue 4 Pages 759-763
The global environment in which we live has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. High-speed transport implies that an infectious disease that breaks out in one region may quickly spread to encompass the entire world. Cases of dermatitis caused by chemical fibers are on the rise as chemical fibers replace natural fibers in the clothing we wear. Unbeknown to us, residual pesticides and postharvest chemicals undermine our health.
The life span of people living in this new environment has also changed dramatically. Health targets designed for an aging society are how to raise quality of life and how to reduce the time spent bedridden before death. One example of medical technology for terminal care in an aging society is the medical examination.
One typical medical technology of Multiphasic Health Testing and Services is the establishment of standard values: A factor that affects standard diagnostic values is normal reference values of test reagents. One method of measurement has 100 test reagents, and the normal values for each are different. The sensitivity of dipsticks, for example, differs depending upon the manufacturer. This situation makes it difficult to follow health trends continuously. Reagents are now an integral part of pharmaceutical manufacturers' global strategy. It will not be easy to achieve standardization if manufactures think only of themselves.
An international conference such as this is the perfect place for us to speak out as one in favor of standardization.
I would also like to touch upon how reagents currently stand internationally.
