It may be a lesser known branch of medicine but Biomedical Science has been described as the “engine room” of modern diagnostics.
Biomedical Science Day is being celebrated to promote to the public how important it is to healthcare, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Biomedical scientists are vital in modern medicine, mostly working in laboratories to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment by analysing fluids and tissue samples from patients.
Around 70 per cent of diagnoses in the NHS are based on pathology results provided by biomedical scientists.
We are pleased to announce that #BiomedicalScienceDay2021 will be taking place on Thursday 24th June. We hope you will help us to make a huge and positive contribution to the public's understanding of the biomedical science #AtTheHeartOfHealthcare. https://t.co/FExaA82v3B pic.twitter.com/XatQvroOQ7
These tasks can range from determining the blood requirements of critically ill patients to identifying outbreaks of infectious diseases to monitoring biomarkers in cancer.
The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) says: “Handling over 150 million samples in the UK each year, every person at some point in their lives will benefit from the services of a biomedical scientist. If you have ever had a urine, blood, tissue or other sample taken by a doctor or nurse, chances are it will have been diagnosed by a biomedical scientist.”
They have been particularly important during the pandemic, and in 2021 Biomedical Science Day is being held on Thursday 24 June to showcase the work that has taken place during the past year.
Many have taken to social media to thank biomedical scientists for their work in the past year.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock Tweeted: “This #BiomedicalScienceDay2021 I want to pay tribute to all those working incredibly hard in biomedical sciences within the UK & especially in our fantastic NHS.
“Your incredible work has been central to our fight against the virus.”
IBMS asked people to tag them in posts, saying: “Follow the IBMS’s accounts on Twitter and Instagram (@IBMScience) or on Facebook (/BiomedicalScience) and share your photos and videos of how you’ve been celebrating the day with us and the community!”
The Biomedical Science Day Activity Fund also helped people celebrate by giving £500 to events for the day.
It said “activities should aim to raise public awareness of biomedical science and demonstrate the value of the profession. The grants may be used to support a wide range of activities and resources, including: experiments, exhibition space at careers events, marketing and communications materials, incentives and giveaways.”
IBMS also encouraged people to write to their local politicians to inform them about biomedical science and the vital role it has at the heart of healthcare.
There are also activity sheets for kids and Superlab Comics.
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