This year’s World Patient Safety Day centres on improving diagnosis for patient safety, using the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”.
Accurate and timely diagnosis is central to identify a patient’s health problem and initiate appropriate treatment. Today, most clinical decision-making is based on laboratory testing. The process to reach a diagnosis and treatment plan involves many steps: from identifying diverse symptoms and selecting the most appropriate tests to interpreting the results, which is key in supporting an accurate diagnosis. Delayed or incorrect diagnoses can prolong a patient’s journey to recovery and impede access to effective treatment.
We interviewed four of our experts to learn more about how their day-to-day work in diagnostics advances patient safety and helps their healthcare partners to improve both the care and the experience of patients.
Reducing the time to diagnosis and enabling targeted treatment for respiratory patients in ICUs
An innovative next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based test enables same-day, accurate and comprehensive detection and identification of bacteria, viruses and fungi in respiratory infections, leading to earlier and more targeted treatment.
“The time required to obtain results is reduced significantly to just 7-8 hours. Currently, results for bacterial and fungal cultures can take up to 24-72 hours or even weeks. Same day results allow doctors to adjust treatments more rapidly if necessary. Last winter, this method was piloted in the intensive care unit (ICU) at St Thomas’ Hospital, where metagenomics results led to improvements in, for example, broad-spectrum antimicrobial prescribing and immunosuppressive therapy.”
Adela Alcolea-Medina , Clinical Scientist, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, Synnovis
Keeping doctors up to date with the latest diagnostic developments
Medical knowledge and the challenges in everyday practice are constantly evolving. Our SYNLAB Academy informs clinicians about recent advancements in diagnostics.
“Patient safety is of paramount importance to SYNLAB. We invest significant resources in our SYNLAB Academy to ensure doctors stay current with the latest scientific advancements. This enables the entire practice team to inform and advise patients based on the most recent developments.
We have also launched the FH ALERT initiative to reliably identify patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a hereditary disorder of lipid metabolism. When elevated LDL cholesterol levels are detected in a blood sample, doctors receive an additional, detailed report outlining further diagnostic possibilities and therapeutic options. In this way, SYNLAB enhances the effectiveness of diagnostics.”
Univ. Prof. Dr Winfried März , Director of SYNLAB Academy, SYNLAB Germany
Growing our vitamin B12 understanding for faster and better diagnostic outcomes
Diagnostic markers and reference values are evolving in line with our understanding of individual needs. Our scientists invest in research and collaboration to identify gaps in knowledge to improve our service to patients and medical professionals.
“A timely and accurate diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency is paramount for prevention of anaemia and neurological damage. All biochemical markers that are used for diagnosis of B12 deficiency are influenced by age, sex and ethnicity independently of vitamin B12 status. Our collaborative work over the last four years has concentrated on evaluating these markers and establishing diagnostic criteria, incorporating these factors, to enable faster and better diagnostic outcomes.”
Dr Agata Sobczyńska-Malefora , MSc PhD CSci CChem FRSC, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer (King’s College London), Synnovis
Improving access to preventive care to ensure better recovery
Cancer care is an area where early detection and prevention can make a significant difference to treatment planning and life expectancy. Educating healthcare professionals about preventive screening options for the benefit of patients is a clear mission of ours.
“At over 900,000, the number of deaths from colorectal cancer worldwide is the second highest of all cancers. Colorectal cancer screening using iFOBT (immunological Faecal Occult Blood Test) often detects colorectal cancer before symptoms appear – with a probability between 71% and 90%. A tumour is detected in 20% to 30% of people with a positive test. Early detection means that a wide range of treatment options are usually available and life expectancy is higher. At SYNLAB, we regularly and proactively inform our doctors about such options to make patients' future healthier.”
Dr Martin Roskos , Chief Medical Officer, SYNLAB Germany