Quality Matters the most in Medical Diagnosis

1

• Quality Matters the most in Medical Diagnosis

2
Quality Healthcare according to WHO is the one
which incorporates the following principles
Efficiency, People-centredness, Timeliness,
Safety, Effectiveness, Integration and Equity.
Quality healthcare is effective This means you
will be accurately diagnosed and treated (In some
countries, only 35 of patients get correct
diagnosis). Quality healthcare is efficient That
means your laboratory imaging tests will not be
repeated unnecessarily. Quality healthcare
is equitable This means all the people,
regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity,
geographical location and socioeconomic status,
shall receive the good quality healthcare they
need. Quality healthcare is integrated If you
have multiple chronic diseases, your medical care
is coordinated across all the doctors. Quality
healthcare is timely That means you can see a
doctor when you need to, without waiting for too
long (In some countries, 74 of the patients have
to wait between 60 to 120 minutes to be seen by a
doctor).  Quality healthcare is safe That means
the care you receive doesnt harm you. Around the
world, nearly 14 of the patients are harmed from
the healthcare they receive during their hospital
stay. Quality healthcare is people-centred This
means that decisions about your care are tailored
to your needs and preferences and you are treated
with respect and compassion.
3
Quality in Medical imaging and diagnosis is
fundamental to effective and efficient
healthcare. The world is transitioning towards
value-based patient care and from quantity to
quality. It is important for both patients and
practitioners. The first step to correct medical
diagnosis is at correct testing. There are
several ways of getting a medical test, it can be
monitoring, lab testing, imaging and other
forms. The X-ray , Lab tests and ultrasonography
are the most widely suggested examinations in
both public health and preventive care . These
are the ones where reports differ from different
healthcare facilities and treating doctors get
confused leading to unnecessary re-ordering of
tests and resultant many-fold increase in
expenditure borne by the patients. The more
specialized tests like CT-scan, MRI,
Echocardiography, TMT, EEG etc. are primarily
dependent upon the quality of machines, their
technological advances and proper handling. The
equipment and machinery for CT scan, X-Ray, MRI
and Ultrasound must have a Quality Assurance and
need to be updated frequently.
4

• Equally important is the human part i.e the
  technicians handling the machines and the Doctors
  interpreting reporting the tests. A radiologist
  has to interpret hundreds of images each day
  every image is important and play a crucial role
  in correct diagnosis. A radiologist has to
  interpret the problem on the basis of the image
  that crosses their screen, an zero error
  reporting is what is required for quality
  imaging. The significance of high quality in
  medical imaging provides accurate results upon
  which the physicians totally depend for
  diagnosis.
• Following are a few quality related factors that
  impact the healthcare
• Poor quality results in poor late diagnosis.
  The precision and depth of testing and imaging
  plays a crucial role in providing information.
  Better the quality and clarity of the image,
  easier it would be to detect the disease at an
  early stage.
• In some cases, the images from CT Scans, MRI, etc
  do not provide enough clarity to detect the
  disease at an early stage. The patient reports
  pain and suffering but the diagnosis is delayed
  due to poor quality in testing.
• In the context of lab tests, the accuracy matters
  the most. The advancement of technology has
  helped the healthcare industry to associate
  different symptoms and reach a solid conclusion.

5

• Samples of blood, urine, saliva etc are tested
  under absolute isolation and detection. Super
  zooming of the samples allows defining the
  characteristics to a greater extent and thus
  preventing the disease from worsening.
• The quality also means quick testing. Reduction
  in time taken for diagnosis means that the
  patients can have an early treatment. This also
  reduced other costs such as stay in the hospital,
  pain relievers etc.  Time matters the most in
  rapidly progressive life threatening diseases
  like Cancer or in trauma.
• Less repeatability of the tests is essential in
  quality healthcare. If the tests are not well
  performed or are of poor quality, they need to be
  repeated  which again costs time and money and
  delays diagnosis.
• There are several ways in which quality has an
  impact. It not only provides accuracy but also
  quickens the whole process, reducing the pain and
  suffering. Similarly bad quality leads to wrong
  and delayed diagnosis and prolongs the illness. 

6
These are the few reasons for which most of the
hospitals and healthcare centres around the world
have shut out the obsolete methods. The modern
hospitals and practitioners are accepting only
the test results from hi-tech diagnostic centres
having advanced machineries and qualified staff.
The quality impacts every individual and the
healthcare industry as a whole. The need of the
hour to improve diagnostic imaging quality
which in turn will raise the healthcare standards
and let us achieve the WHOs goal of Quality
Healthcare. Article Resource -
https//www.apexdiagnostics.in/blog/quality-matter
s-the-most-in-medical-diagnosis/