Integrated Diagnostics: The Future of Diagnostic Medicine?

Abstract

AbstractRecent progress in diagnostic testing could enable more accurate diagnosis and improved clinical outcomes. However, diagnostic data are fragmented, being produced and delivered within the “silo” of each diagnostic discipline, and the electronic health record does little to synthesize existing data to be translated into usable and actionable information. Therefore, despite great promise, diagnoses may still be incorrect, delayed, or never made. Integrated diagnostics represents a vision for the future, wherein laboratory, pathology and imaging data, together with clinical information, are aggregated to support through expert systems, algorithms based on machine learning and artificial intelligence the provision to clinicians of a more actionable diagnostic information. The possible convergence of laboratory, pathology, and imaging test results within the same medical report is, therefore, a valuable goal to foster earlier and more accurate diagnoses, and personalized medicine.