Essential Diagnostics List: The Time Is Now

The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains the Model List of Essential Medicines (EML)3, first compiled in 1977, defined as “those that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population.” (1) The EML is updated every 2 years and is one of the most globally recognized and valued WHO resources, playing a central role in global health policy by providing access to, and guiding safe and rational use of, medicines. Although the EML was originally intended to be a guide for the development of national and institutional essential medicine lists, it has seen global acceptance and adoption across high-, middle-, and low-income countries, thereby helping promote health equity. Given the success of the EML and its implementation in over 150 countries, the idea of a similar list for diagnostic tests seems obvious considering that diagnostic and treatment decisions are largely influenced by the results of laboratory tests. In a recent Perspective featured in the New England Journal of Medicine , Lee Schroeder and colleagues propose a Model List of Essential Diagnostics (EDL), analogous in concept to the …