STAFF at NHS Dumfries and Galloway Laboratories have been promoting the vital role of laboratory science as part of a national awareness day.
Last Thursday, Biomedical Science staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary (DGRI) celebrated Biomedical Science Day – manning a stand in the District General Hospital’s large and busy atrium.
The theme for Biomedical Science Day 2018 was ‘at the heart of healthcare’, aiming to highlight how biomedical science is central to patients’ healthcare as it produces the data on which doctors, consultants and surgeons base their diagnoses to plan a patient’s treatment.
Adele Foster is Cell Science Service Manager / Professional Lead at DGRI, and she said: “The day generated a lot of interest from both the public and staff and from this we hope to do something similar again in the future.
“For us, it was great to be able to promote our roles within healthcare.
“Seventy per cent of diagnoses in the NHS are based on results provided by laboratory services.
“It was a credit to everyone who came up with ideas to promote biomedical science and for all those involved in putting together the presentations and manning the stand.”
In only its second year, the awareness day has gained significant popularity among biomedical laboratory staff across the UK – with many planning to open the doors to their laboratories or organise events in their hospital or local schools.
Adele said: “Biomedical Science Day is a great opportunity for us to promote the role of biomedical science.
“By opening the doors to the laboratory we can show the public how vital our role is in their healthcare.”
Despite many encounters with the work of biomedical science throughout their lifetime, most people will be unaware of the important role it plays in their healthcare.
Biomedical scientists and their staff mostly work in healthcare laboratories. They diagnose diseases and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment by analysing fluids and tissue samples from patients.
In the UK alone, healthcare laboratories are involved in over 70 per cent of diagnoses in the NHS, handling over 150 million samples every year.
Biomedical science is biology and chemistry related discipline used mostly in healthcare laboratories to identify research, monitor and treat diseases.
As one of the broadest areas of modern science, it focuses on the complexity of the human body and underpins much of modern medicine.
