7/31/2023 0 Comments Lab diagnosticsThese issues are key determinants of our long-term strategy. We are aware of the importance of IT and other disruptive technologies in shaping our profession. Our association is developing standards, encouraging their implementation, and striving for harmonization of lab medicine across Europe. EFLM has a great potential to take the lead in creating a framework for “next generation” laboratory medicine and is collaborating with other clinical organizations on the issues of mutual interest. Our mission at EFLM is to enhance patient care and improve outcomes by promoting and improving the scientific, professional and clinical aspects of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. How can associations like the European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) help in creating a framework for the “next generation” laboratory? I rather suggest to redefine our roles, learn how to use IT solutions and artificial intelligence and focus on areas where cognitively challenging actions are required. Many would argue that our jobs might become redundant if we allow IT to take over tasks that were traditionally done by humans. We need to use information to improve all processes in the lab to increase our productivity, optimize efficiency and improve the quality of our service. The laboratory of the future should operate as an information- driven business. Artificial intelligence will certainly play a role as well. For example the LIS should be able to capture, store and analyze various lab related data, and even act upon these data. Thus IT should be offering much more in the future. The amount of data in healthcare doubles every 3–5 years and the role of IT is to analyze big data and use them to improve laboratory medicine. Furthermore, laboratories are a kind of goldmine for data. Such systems can effectively support the diagnostic process, ensuring that patients are always receiving a standard level of care, while allowing exceptions and as respecting the autonomy of a clinician. Test algorithms, panels and various gate-keeping strategies can be implemented into hospital information systems (HIS) and laboratory information systems (LIS) not only to automate test ordering and test interpretation, but also to complement the laboratory and clinicians’ skills and enhance the quality of care provided. Obviously, informatics has a key role here and the applications are unlimited. What role can IT play in improving demand management and test interpretation? Obviously, effective communication, shared vision and team work are the key in this process to overcome resistance to change which is one of the biggest barriers along the road. We should stand up and show that we are knowledgeable and competent to serve as consultants in test ordering and test interpretation. Our primary focus should be areas of demand management and test interpretation. We have to eliminate silos and work together with clinicians on joint guidelines while respecting their clinicalĪutonomy but contributing our valuable knowledge about the testing process. This means engagement with our clinical colleagues in multidisciplinary teams. We need to engage in the pre-pre- and pre-analytical phase as well as in the post-analytical phase. We need to go out of our laboratories and take a responsible role within the total testing process. Such a change requires a paradigm shift for the lab and for other stakeholders in healthcare like hospital managers, clinicians and nurses. We should practice laboratory medicine as a clinical specialty rather than a number-generating system. In addition to our focus on high analytical quality we need to also focus on patient outcome. What we need to aim for in the future is to become a patient-oriented partner in healthcare that is providing high quality information. Nowadays labs are still seen as “factories” which produce a great amount of data. In the past, laboratories have been sample-oriented and too much focused on analytical quality. Ana-Maria Simundic about challenges and opportunities for the clinical laboratory.Īccording to your experience, what are the biggest challenges in today’s clinical practice that keep laboratories from adding more value to their institutions and the patients’ pathway? Abbott’s Diagnostics magazine “WIRED for transformation” talked to Prof. Despite the many advances made for achieving a high degree of quality and safety in the analytical part of diagnostic testing, many hurdles in the total testing process remain, for example in the preanalytical phase when it comes to ordering the right tests. It is undeniable that laboratory testing is vital for the diagnosis, prognostication and therapeutic monitoring of human disease.
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