The life-changing value of diagnostics

By understanding the small things that can happen in our bodies, we can begin to understand the important role that self-awareness and diagnostics play in keeping us healthy, by supporting clinicians in making decisions that ultimately can save lives.

Diagnostics – tests that detect diseases, conditions and infections – are essential to helping clinicians improve health for people around the world.

Whether it’s cancer, an infectious disease or other serious health threat, the search for a solution to some of health’s greatest challenges starts with, and depends on, diagnostics.

However, this field is still significantly undervalued. In fact, despite in vitro-diagnostics playing a foundational role in improving health outcomes, supporting 70% of healthcare decisions throughout a patient’s journey, the field accounts for just 2% of global healthcare funding.

Diagnostics are an integral part of decision-making along every step of a person’s health, wellness and disease journey. A diagnostic test alone can change the course of someone’s healthcare experience – and their life.

The wealth of information we can gather from a small blood or tissue sample is astonishing. Some insights can lead to behavior and lifestyle changes, which can keep a person healthy and out of hospital. Some tests might reveal an imminent threat and lead to a life-saving decision.