SEQC Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine

The new strategic plan is focus on the clinical laboratories humanization

 • The Society’s 2022-2024 Strategic Plan seeks to promote Laboratory Medicine specialties through the implementation of research projects using multi-centre registration and the creation of an SEQC^ML Observatory.

 • The Society will create a working group to assess the impact of the 2030 agenda on Laboratory Medicine and identify the measures that will need to be adopted to move towards a green laboratory.

 • It will promote among scientific societies patient-oriented care and the incorporation into their strategic plans of 5P medicine: personalized, predictive, preventive, participative, and population-based.

Madrid, September 5, 2022 – The humanization of clinical laboratories and the creation of an Observatory for the dissemination of current issues in Laboratory Medicine are some of the strategic objectives of the new 2022-2024 Strategic Plan of the Spanish Society of Medicine Laboratory (SEQC^ML), the goal of which is to improve patient health. The new project, developed over a period of eight months, is aimed at guiding the actions of the Board of Directors and the SEQC^ML during this three-year period. The Strategic Plan has been developed in several phases, including a massive survey of members, and has been put together thanks to the work of a committee of experts made up of members independent of the Board of Directors.

The new Strategic Plan consists of a total of 50 actions and nine strategic lines to be implemented. Among them, the president of the SEQC^ML, Dr. Antonio Buño, highlights the Humaniza Program. "We are seeking to develop a humanization policy aimed at clinical laboratories in the pre-analytical phase and at the time of sample collection, to ensure humanized care for patients, family members, and companions," he explains.

The commitment to 5P medicine (personalized, predictive, preventive, participative, and population-based) and the promotion of patient-oriented care among scientific societies are also key elements of the project. In addition, the new Strategic Plan is committed to the development of formulas for collaboration between laboratory specialists and professionals from other specialties and the promotion of personalized medicine linked to molecular biology.

Likewise, it seeks to promote Laboratory Medicine specialties through various actions. In particular, the aim is to carry out research projects using a multi-centre registry where a large number of laboratories can participate, the development of a channel of good practices, and the launch of a SEQC^ML Observatory "for the monitoring and dissemination of current issues, successful experiences, and trends in Laboratory Medicine”, explains Dr. Antonio Buño.

The Society is also proposing the creation of a working group to assess the impact of the 2030 agenda on Laboratory Medicine and identify the measures that will have to be adopted to move towards a green laboratory.

Lessons learned

The new Strategic Plan has detected a series of areas for improvement and a number of barriers to overcome. One of them is the lack of recognition of the contribution of Laboratory Medicine and the clinical laboratory in diagnostic and research work. In addition, there is an excessive demand for laboratory tests and an increase in costs, which can generate, according to the president of the SEQC^ML, "a biased image of the clinical laboratory and Laboratory Medicine among hospital management or regional health services".