b'Where do you still see opportunities for laboratoryReferencemedicine professionals to educate clinicians about the1. Salipante SJ, Jerome KR. Digital PCR-An Emerging Technology with Broad Applications in Microbiology. Clin Chem. 2020;66(1):117-123. doi:10.1373/clinchem.2019.304048nuances of reliability and accuracy of PCR tests?We need to better understand clinical utility of the assays we have and define and develop the future assays we need. In the end, it is everyones responsibilitythat is, the laboratory and test-ordering healthcare providersto make sure our patients receive the appropriate testing they need, and dont receive inappropriate testing they dont need.It is also a shared responsibility that, when patients have testing performed, their results are appropriately reported and acted on. In that sense it is not education of clinicians, but the responsibility of the collaborative team to assure the best patient care possible. It is not an us versus them situation.So, with that context, a simpler answer to your question would be: every day, every minute, all of the time.Validation is needed to analytically assess specificity,and is just as important today as it was 3 decades ago.Robin Patel, MDDr. Robin Patel directs the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, where she and her colleagues focus on biofilms, the cause of myriad infections in modern clinical practice, including prosthetic joint infection and endocarditis. She is also the chair of the Division Of Clinical Microbiology and the director of its Bacteriology Laboratory, where she helps lead the development and deployment of assays for clinical detection and identification of bacteria, as well as characterization of antimicrobial resistance and susceptibility.9 Molecular testing thermofisher.com/infectiousdisease Contents'