Patient-centred laboratory medicine: a conference and user group report

The CliniSys summer conference and user group meeting was hosted at The Belfry and more than 250 delegates were treated to thought-provoking presentations and discussion with some of the key innovators and thought-leaders in healthcare, laboratory medicine and information technology (IT). The central focus of the two-day programme was the theme of ‘Patient Centricity’, and topics such as standardisation and interoperability, communication and information presentation, understanding and responding to patient needs, care pathway alignment, technological innovation and service development and promotion were skilfully presented and debated.

Fiona Pearson (CliniSys CEO) opened the conference with a brief synopsis of some of the drivers for focused consideration on ‘Patient Centricity’, including the need for greater standardisation, as evidenced in the NHS Atlas of Variation, and the potential benefits in providing tailored and supportive information to patients, who are going to be increasingly able to access and view their pathology results.

Laboratory tests, and what they mean
The first of the guest speakers to address the audience was Professor Jonathan Kay, who until very recently was the Clinical Informatics Director for NHS England, before taking up his new position at the Farr Institute. Jonathan gave a very informative and passionately delivered presentation on initiatives to help patients access their reports and to help them understand what the results mean. He talked about the current mechanisms for the management of investigations and the pressures which challenge their sustainability and validity. Developing the themes of variability, interoperability and making better use of resource, he moved into the realm of shifting focus to encourage and support patient involvement and empowerment, in helping to address the burden of chronic disease and potentially introduce new models of care.  His presentation continued with an overview of the Patient Online programme, which aims to empower patients to take more personal control of their health and wellbeing by providing online access to services and information. He illustrated that for many patients, limited access to summary information may be all that is wanted, but for patients with long-term conditions and those who wish to play a major role in the management of their health, wider access will be sought, and the need for greater supportive information, evidence and case studies will grow.