– by Dr Roopa Viswanathan Iyer, Founder and Managing Director, Qualilife Diagnostics
Diagnostics laboratories have a very crucial role in the accurate examination of a condition, its subsequent detection and selection of line of treatment. For the highest degree of quality to be delivered, it is imperative to deploy advanced technology. Automation will be the key to this. Automated systems provide numerous advantages like faster diagnostic results and reports, error reduction, lesser human intervention, transparency in processes and smoother tracking. If these are connected to laboratory or hospital information systems, patient alerts or doctor alerts system can be initiated for faster management. Highend molecular testing also forms part of the automated systems. These have improved diagnosis turnaround time, caused greater awareness and hence greater clinical outcomes.
During pandemics and mass diseases like COVID19 pandemic, rapid and accurate diagnosis is very essential. Molecular diagnosis has come to the rescue in such scenarios. RT PCR has become a household name and also it has gained the importance of Gold standard. High-end molecular testing is not only the future for infectious diseases diagnoses but also other diseases.
One of the major challenges during this pandemic has been the supply and demand of testing kits. Bridging the gap between the supply and demand of testing kits was very crucial in the current scenario. These could be tackled easily with indigenous “made in India technologies” which can make the diagnosis available, accessible and affordable.
In India, during this pandemic, many indigenous research and development technologies have risen to the occasion and have provided valuable solutions. They have been providing quality products with international standards. They have made disease management easier with successful outcomes. Though Diagnostics in urban India are of world standards, the same cannot be said about rural India. Rural India has an unorganised diagnostic system. There is a lack of sophisticated technologies. The need of the hour is a point of care technology which is affordable, easy to operate and requires less expertise. This has been addressed again by “made in India technologies”. These technologies would serve very well if exploited reasonably. They will solve a lot of health problems in rural India.
The pandemic saw a fast-emerging sector of Telemedicine. Telemedicine involves the use of telecommunications technology that helps healthcare professionals to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients without an in-patient visit. “No contact” patient management came to rescue in this pandemic and lockdown. While superior medical expertise and quality healthcare services are prevalent in the country, it is not easily available for the rural population. There is a massive growth potential for Telemedicine in India. India is digitalising rapidly and there is a huge potential to tap this.
As each individual outcome for each disease is unique, personalised medicine and genomics are the way forward. Human Genome Project has helped researchers to develop effective therapies and personalised treatment for diseases like cancer or other genetic disorders. Tailored treatment plans and guidance will prevent, diagnose, and treat critical illness with more precision.
Information technology has paved its way into the healthcare industry. Digital health records and their trends can pre-emptively diagnose diseases. Information technology can analyse health records to identify patterns that can point us in the direction of early diagnosis and prevention. This will help us live longer and lead safer, more productive lives.
