DIAGNOSTIC LABS OFTHE FUTURE WILLBE OFTWO TYPES

◆ The first,type will be the asset-light digital heavy routine diagnostics and the second type would be the deep-tech heavy integrated diagnostics.The routine diagnostics will be a combination of home-based self-testing and home-based on-site testing using a small gadget like devices.You might be able to order not just a diagnostics test but a full diagnostic lab at home.Expect not just a sample collection executive to come home,rather expect a well-trained professional to come home with a bag full of devices,using which they will be able to issue you reports instantly.Your doctor will be notified automatically,and your health records will be updated instantaneously against your unique health id.Your insurance provider would be updated,and you will simply offer seamless consent-based health data access.In most likelihood out-of-pocket expenses will be a thing of the past and payments for diagnostics would largely be paid for by insurance or employers or social benefit schemes.The diagnostics companies in this case would look like digital power tools and you would carry them in your pocket and wear connected sensor devices on your body and keep some at home.Just like you have an Amazon app on your phone and Alexa at your home.

◆ The second type of diagnostics will involve physically walking into the high-end infrastructures - integrated diagnostic centres where they would perform all kinds of pathology and radiology scans on you and you will almost have a virtual twin of yours available for your doctors to view and take a medical decision.This will be entirely prescription diagnostics and you as a common man will have little to no role in ordering such diagnostics or interpreting such diagnostics.An average user would need almost 90 per cent of her lifetime diagnostics requirements taken care of by the routine ecosystem in an almost free-of-outpocket model and only the high-end stuff would need walking into a high-tech diagnostic facility.

service personnel – educating the consumer – than a blooddraw technician. The lab report of the future will look more like a guide to behavior change than a number dump. And these transformations will require a fundamental shift in how we think of the three P’s-People, Processes, and Products", she added.

According to Dr Phadke, “One of the other aspects that we need to look at is the sustainability of labs. Labs of the future have to be green, where they measure their carbon footprint and are able to dispose of their waste in a manner that it does not harm the planet. We all very well know the impact that climate crises have on health. As responsible healthcare organisations, we need the plan to reduce our footprint, be ready to protect our infrastructure from climate risks and also have the plan to tackle health conditions that may arise due to future climate concerns.”

Advantages to be offered byfuturistic labs

Futuristic diagnostic labs will enhance the capabilities of professionals and will enable them to perform complex tests with more precision and efficiency.

They are expected to considerably benefit both diagnostic experts and patients as well as improve overall healthcare quality. Professionals not only save time but also boost their productivity as the labs operate 24/7, enabling prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Sharing his opinion, Ray said, “For professionals, writing is clearly on the wall. The ones who will adopt technology will benefit tremendously. The ones, who will not, will have to change sectors or move to lower skill jobs that pay less. With growing per capita income, what follows next is increased health activism and, in some cases, over-diagnosis by patients themselves. Annual health check-up is going to be the norm and doctors will only

Generative medicine and lifestyle-genetics backed by precision-diagnostics led personalised-medicine will make the mankind of the future conquer their own health”, he added.

Mahajan adds, “The biggest advantage that we foresee is that diseases would be diagnosed much earlier resulting in optimal treatment outcomes and eventually better quality of life for the patient. Treatment decisions would also be personalised for each patient based on the genetic profile and past personal & family history, a dramatic shift from the one size fits all approach. Other advantages would be in the form of more affordable and access to diagnostics especially in the smaller cities and towns of India.” practice evidence-based medicine all the time. All of this calls for a massive explosion of diagnostics as an industry. Do not be surprised if the diagnostic sector simply multiplies itself 4 times in the next 5 to 7 years. In an industry of that size, harnessing technology skills, diagnostics professionals of the future will be highly productive compared to today's levels and commensurate with that, they would be paid handsomely.”

“Of course, the reverse will happen too, a lot of basic mundane jobs will become self-mode by patients themselves like web-checking in airlines or they will be performed by AI. Overall, for high-skilled professionals, it will be a great time. For patients, healthcare will also become an aspect of life that will be under complete control of an individual which is quite a departure from even a few years ago. Staying healthy and remaining healthy will largely be a choice.

Talking about streamlined workflow and access to advanced testing technology, Dr Dang explains, “Automation and robotics streamline laboratory workflows, reducing manual labor and repetitive tasks. This allows professionals to focus on more complex and critical aspects of diagnostics, enhancing their productivity and job satisfaction. Futuristic labs provide professionals with access to cutting-edge testing technologies such as next-generation sequencing, digital pathology, and microfluidics. These technologies offer higher sensitivity, specificity, and faster results, enabling comprehensive and precise analysis of samples.”

Wayforward

By implementing and adopting emerging technologies in diagnostic labs, India can offer top-notch outcomes in terms of efficiency, accuracy and quality of lab processes which will lead to better patient care, diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. However, streamlining the resource planning, investments and collaborations in this direction will be important.

Kalyani.sharma@expressindia.com journokalyani@gmail.com