FEATURE ARTICLES

Liam Whitby, President of the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS) explains the reason why UK NEQAS is a world leader in EQA.

Auch Hospital in the south of France recently took delivery of that country’s first example of a new cytology analyser. Here, Pathology in Practice hears from three senior laboratory staff involved in the project about the changes that have taken place following the addition of this new automated technology.

In this fourth article in his series on measurement uncertainty, Stephen MacDonald moves on to look at some of the lesser discussed points that need to be considered when calculating imprecision and its contribution to combined uncertainty.

While automation of laboratory tests and procedures can bring great efficiencies and benefits to the laboratory and to overall patient care, effective implementation of an automation project requires detailed planning strategy and evaluation, as Renato Gargiani explains.

With the emergence of new patient care pathways, the growth of point-of-care testing has been driven by new technology. This has offered patients improved health outcomes, utilising diagnostics and solutions that help relieve the pressures on our health system.

While provision for point-of-care testing (POCT) is growing hugely, UKAS ISO 15189 accreditation for such services is still in its infancy. Haval Ozgun, POCT Manager and Network Lead at South West London Pathology, explains how his service successfully gained accreditation.

The appropriate selection of blood for transfusion in the ongoing treatment of patients with sickle cell disease is of vital importance. Here, Hannah Caldwell examines the role of sickle solubility testing and molecular genotyping in the care of SCD patients in Northern Ireland.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, presenting as a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behaviour and social skills. New tests might be able to diagnose the disease when symptoms are very mild, so that the latest therapeutic advances in the field can be applied. Here, Pathology in Practice Science Editor Brian Nation compiles a small selection of current research interest.

In this third article in his new series, Stephen MacDonald summarises some interesting highlights of the current understanding of analytical performance specifications and in particular how they are applied to measurement uncertainty.

UK laboratories have received unprecedented funding for digital pathology in recent years, resulting in arguably the highest penetration of scanners in a public healthcare setting worldwide. Digitisation is not exclusively happening in the UK, however, and as other countries embark on their own digitalisation journeys, this article examines some pioneering implementations worldwide, ultimately asking what lessons can be learned.

This year’s British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference will be held on
2 May at the UKHSA, Colindale, North London.
Here, BSMT Chair Dr Mark Wilks continues his preview of the meeting focusing on antimicrobial resistance, the UK government’s ambitious programme to control it, and how likely it is to succeed.

Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A Streptococcus, is the prime cause of bacterial pharyngitis and results in major disease worldwide. Ranging from non-invasive disease to severe invasive disease such as necrotising fasciitis, toxic shock syndrome and scarlet fever, the infection is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Here, Naomi Mason and colleagues investigate the use of a new near-patient test.

In the December 2023 issue of this magazine, Markus Meyer looked at how early and accurate identification can assist in controlling outbreaks of Candida auris, thanks to advances in polymerase chain reaction testing and strain typing technology. Here, to complement previous coverage, Pathology in Practice Science Editor Brian Nation compiles a small selection of recent research interest in this important fungal agent.

This year’s Annual Microbiology Conference of the British Society for Microbial Technology will be held at UKHSA in Colindale, North London, on 2 May. As usual, it will cover a range of different topics but this year there is a particular focus on the use of rapid testing in the diagnosis of infectious disease and the detection of antibiotic resistance.

Education is an important aspect of the services provided by UK NEQAS schemes operating across laboratory medicine. Here, Bashori Rahman and Barbara De la Salle provide an example using a rare haemoglobin variant circulated as part of their molecular EQA scheme.

A recently published report into the HIV rapid diagnostic test market landscape, produced in coordination with the World Health Organization, aims for a healthier, more sustainable market. Here, Pathology in Practice presents a summary of the report, including the current state of HIV testing and aims for the near future.

With increased awareness of metrological traceability, both from an IVD manufacturer and end-user perspective, improvements in analytical methods are possible. In this second article in his new series on measurement uncertainty, Stephen MacDonald provides a detailed overview of the issues involved.

Hormone testing is an important diagnostic tool, but there are limitations to using blood for such tests. In this article, Dr Dajana Domik looks at the benefits of saliva diagnostics and the automation technologies that can streamline analysis workflows, as well as sharing the details of a testing facility success story.

Establishing optimal cut-off values is essential in ensuring excellent results accuracy and quality, a prime example being in facilitating the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis and its appropriate treatment. Here, Rebecca Cottage and colleagues from Manchester report on measures undertaken to check and amend the reference range for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies.

A recent study concluded that universal molecular testing in stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer is a critical first step in determining the best course of treatment; but adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been slow. Here, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Dr Luca Quagliata discusses the issues around widespread introduction of NGS and how oncologists and pathologists can use it to improve outcomes for cancer patients.