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The British government has acknowledged that up to 70% of medical diagnoses now rely on pathology laboratory analyses. One consequence of such reliance is an ever increasing laboratory workload, usually, in National Health Service laboratories, at a rate in excess of the financial resources to support it. It follows that this demand can only be serviced by increased efficiency. In the February 2004 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Pathology," researchers have reviewed their experience over a six month period of a gating policy, based on clinical information given to the laboratory at the time of request, which has been in place for 10 years. This policy directs requesting almost exclusively towards the diagnosis of the necrotising vasculitides.