Nov 2, 2009 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Pre-analytical products, automated systems, and Lean Six Sigma combined to improve outcomes
In today’s era of automation and Lean Six Sigma processes in laboratory medicine, the manual urinalysis test may be ready for a major makeover. Such a development would be welcome because, in the typical American hospital, the clinical laboratory performs an average of 120 urinalyses per day.
Some clinical laboratory managers consider it counterintuitive that—during a period of automation and implementation of Lean Six Sigma processes—a diagnostic tool as important and ubiquitous as urinalysis would not be perfectly methodized. But that is frequently the case. In many clinical laboratories, the processes utilized for this line of lab tests are often outmoded, inefficient, and can even lead to erroneous results.
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Oct 19, 2009 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
In conjunction with Phillips Research, a team from the University of Southampton is looking to revolutionize blood analysis
Point-of-care blood cell analysis in doctor’s offices could soon be much faster and more convenient. In conjunction with Philips Research, a team of researchers at England’s University of Southampton is developing a miniaturized cell analysis device with the goal of eventually delivering a low cost, high speed, and inexpensive system to perform CBCs (complete blood counts) in point-of-care settings.
The team recently developed a microfluidic single-cell impedance cytometer with the ability to execute a white cell differential count. A microchip within the cytometer uses microfluidics to assess various cells in the blood. The electrical properties of the blood cells are assessed while the blood actually flows through the chip. The measurements are used to determine and count the different types of cells and would allow physicians to diagnose several different types of diseases. The device can identify three types of white blood cells (T-lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils) quicker and more inexpensively than current systems.
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Oct 9, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Prometheus Laboratories targets millions of individuals with undiagnosed celiac disease
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing for celiac disease is now a reality. One company is now marketing a saliva-based genetic test that allows a patient to request, administer, and check the results of the test without leaving his or her home!
The market for this test is substantial. According to the National Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse’s web site, more than two million people in the United States have the disease, or about one in 133 people. A significant number of these individuals are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed celiac victims, which is why a DTC test may prove to be a marketplace winner.
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Sep 30, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Center for Phlebotomy Education says new requirement is step backward for patient safety
When The Joint Commission recently changed the patient identification requirement for drawing a blood sample, one national phlebotomy leader considered it a step backward in patient safety.
“Per a revised policy issued by The Joint Commission, it is no longer required for the phlebotomist or person drawing the blood to actively involve patients by, for example, asking them to state their name,” commented Dennis Ernst, MT(ASCP), the long-serving Director of the Center for Phlebotomy Education. He’s one of the leading observers of phlebotomy trends and he’s concerned about what this means to patient safety.
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