Information technology has the potential to make complex systems in industries such as banking and aviation safer, and more reliable and efficient by improving communication between multiple players across different settings. Health care provides an exemplar to evaluate whether technology developed for the diagnostic test management process can produce measureable improvements in patient outcomes and communications between clinicians, laboratory scientists and patients.

Information technology has the potential to make complex systems in industries such as banking and aviation safer, and more reliable and efficient by improving communication between multiple players across different settings. Health care provides an exemplar to evaluate whether technology developed for the diagnostic test management process can produce measureable improvements in patient outcomes and communications between clinicians, laboratory scientists and patients. This research is urgent given the increasing burden of test management for health professionals, the increasing costs for governments, the serious potential dangers for patients of missed test results and the imminent rollout of system-wide technologies.