The Council of Patient Organizations under the Ministry of Health has issued an official position in support of the implementation of laboratory diagnostic advice. The solution involves expanding the competence of laboratory diagnosticians and is expected to streamline the diagnostic process and improve patient access to expert interpretation of test results.
A step towards changes in diagnostics. It's all about diagnostic laboratory advice
Published Feb. 12, 2026 07:46
The Council of Patient Organizations under the Ministry of Health has come out in favor of implementing laboratory diagnostic advice. This is an important signal in the debate over the role of laboratory diagnosticians in the health care system.
Laboratory tests are one of the key elements of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. They provide objective data on the patient's health status and in many cases determine further clinical decisions. The proposed solution involves expanding the competence of the laboratory diagnostician to include the ability to provide analytical advice on the selection and interpretation of tests.
In practice, laboratory diagnostic advice would include, among other things, support in the proper selection of tests, their interpretation, and, in certain cases, the possibility of issuing a referral for laboratory tests or ordering them. The draft also provides for the possibility of issuing a prescription for the continuation of treatment previously recommended by a doctor, if the therapy is based on the results of laboratory tests.
Proponents of the solution point out that its introduction would allow patients to obtain reliable health information and access to diagnostic expertise without having to make additional medical visits solely to discuss test results. The model would function analogously to already existing benefits, such as nursing advice or pharmaceutical care.
- Laboratory diagnostic advice is a system solution that organizes the diagnostic process and strengthens patient safety. A laboratory diagnostician is competent to be the first professional link in a patient's diagnosis, and the health care system should take full advantage of these competencies," stresses Monika Pintal-Slimak, MD, president of the National Council of Laboratory Diagnosticians.
The official position of the Council of Patient Organizations indicates that the proposed solution is seen as a response to patients' needs and part of the modernization of the health care system.
Source: KIDL
