Progress, Challenges and Future Prospects for Laboratory Medicine

Abstract

The laboratory medicine of the 2030s will be governed by a variety of internal and external forces, including underfunding challenges, emergence of new technologies that expand the scope and utility of testing, as well as increased customer demands for time, convenience and test accuracy. Laboratory medicine must adopt a proactive strategy in tackling these challenges, including a paradigm shift in the scope of practice, from that of responsibility in testing performance only, to embracing and contributing to the concept of healthcare value. Rapid technological advances will facilitate increased adoption of point-of-care applications in nontraditional settings, creating regulatory and quality assurance challenges for the profession. Thus, for laboratory medicine to survive as a unique medical profession, it must evolve into a new professional outfit through strong leadership. The profession needs to expand into new frontiers in clinical practice, including acquisition of new knowledge skill sets and significant contribution to medical research. A paradigm shift in thinking is needed, moving from having a specialised role in healthcare to becoming a diagnostic partner in a patient care setting, in close collaboration with other healthcare professionals. At a time when a revolution in health care organisation is inescapable in the years ahead, clinical pathology must proceed from a merely reactive strategy to a proactive strategy where excellence and visibility in knowledge services is nurtured and promoted, on a strong foothold of operational excellence.