Diagnostics
Accurate and timely diagnosis is an essential component of health care, providing vital information to help prevent, treat, and manage disease. Advances in science and technology mean that diagnostic capabilities have evolved to become even more integral to medicine: MRI is now fundamental to interventional radiology procedures, AI-enabled decision support systems are assisting primary care physicians risk assess their patients for cancer more easily, and as the time and costs of conducting whole genome sequencing lower the opportunity to routinely perform genetic diagnosis is realisable.
Capability improvements mean that diagnosis can happen earlier in the care pathway resulting in better treatment outcomes. When cancer is detected at the earliest stages, treatment is more effective and survival drastically improves. Early identification of sepsis followed by rapid initiation of antimicrobial treatment significantly reduces mortality risk.
ABHI’s activity is centred on a vision to make high quality diagnostic technologies accessible to all who need them when they are needed, so that diseases/health conditions can be detected and treated earlier. The NHS spends more than £6 billion a year on over 100 diagnostics services and carries out an estimated 1.5 billion diagnostic tests. Making best use of these resources means identifying at risk populations quickly and accurately, and optimising service requirements to directing individuals to the right treatments.