WHO invites stakeholders to participate in this important consultation on the definition of the term “diagnostics.”
This public consultation seeks to gather input from experts and stakeholders on the term “Diagnostics,” which currently has no official definition within WHO.
While related definitions exist in WHO publications and other international references, none comprehensively encompass all types of diagnostics. Your feedback will contribute to the development of a clear, inclusive definition that supports effective global health policies.
Background
The 76th World Health Assembly on 30 May 2023, approved the WHA76.5 resolution named “Strengthening diagnostics capacity.”
The resolution included a footnote:
“For the purpose of this resolution, the term “diagnostics” includes medical devices used for the diagnosis, screening, monitoring, prediction, staging or surveillance of diseases or health conditions, both in vitro and non-in vitro types.”
The same resolution requests the WHO secretariat to “to develop and/or update WHO definitions of diagnostics, through a group of experts and public consultations”.
The proposed definition for the consultation
Diagnostics are medical devices that provide information about diseases, physiological status, or health conditions in medicine and public health, with any of the following test purposes: screening, detection, prevention, surveillance, diagnosis or aid to diagnosis, monitoring, prediction, investigation, prognosis, or staging.
They range from simple devices to complex systems, including in-vitro devices, medical imaging, endoscopic systems, and electrophysiology equipment, amongst others.
Please submit your comments using this template and send them to diagnostics-taskforce@who.int by 23 May 2025.
