Competency information
Details
Interpret laboratory data in light of clinical details on patients with common disorders where the immune system is dysfunctional, including at least two of the following:
- protein disorders
- autoimmune disorders
- immunodeficiency disorders
- basic allergy testing.
Considerations
- Organisation and components of the immune system.
- Immunoglobulins, complement and opsonins.
- Inflammatory markers.
- Ranges and values needed for interpretation of results.
- Cellular components (lymphocytes; granulocytes; monocytes/macrophages).
- Humoral components (autoantibodies: the range of autoantibodies and the role they play in autoimmune disease; immunoglobulins: importance of their levels and their absence; complement: importance of their levels and their absence).
- Central molecules of the immune system (major histocompatibility molecules class I & II; CD molecules/cell surface markers; receptor molecules; recognition molecules; adhesion molecules; effector molecules). Majority are used in conjunction with flow cytometry. It will be important to have a basic knowledge of their use in a clinical immunology laboratory and in which diseases their levels and absence is crucial.
- Antigen presentation.
- Innate immune response (endothelial cells; neutrophils; macrophages; natural killer cells; complement). Have a basic working knowledge of which of the components of the innate immune system routine assays can be usefully examined in a clinical immunology laboratory and in which suspected key diseases such assays are performed.
- Adaptive immune response (antigen processing; dendritic cells; T cell responses; B cell responses; primary and secondary responses; vaccination/immunisation). Have a basic working knowledge of which of the components of the adaptive immune system routine assays can be usefully examined in a clinical immunology laboratory and in which suspected key diseases such assays are performed.
- Outcome of immune responses (immunity/immunological memory; direct and indirect functions of antibodies; incidental tissue damage; hypersensitivity and allergy).
- Causes and physiological basis of allergy caused by IgE involvement. Have a good basic working knowledge of the major assay performed in clinical immunology laboratories that aid the diagnosis of suspected allergic reactions.
- Hypersensitivity causes and physiological factors. Have a good basic working knowledge of the major assays performed in a clinical immunology laboratory that will aid in the diagnosis of severe hypersensitivity reactions.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 | Outcome Interpret routine requests for common clinical immunology investigations in the correct clinical context and process the specimens that accompany those requests. |
| # 4 | Outcome Report the results of commonly performed clinical immunology investigations of major organ function. |
| # 5 | Outcome Apply the principles of internal quality control and external quality assessment and draw conclusions about assay performance. |