FEATURE ARTICLES

Following trials of the DxN VERIS Molecular Diagnostics System, a new automated platform for routine viral load assays, Duncan Whittaker describes the workflow and turnaround time improvements achieved and how this might impact on service provision in the future.

The humble swab may receive scant consideration when addressing quality issues related to pre-analytical processing; however, the M40-A2 standard offers a benchmark for performance, as Monika Stuczen explains.

As point-of-care testing becomes ever more prevalent, Afia Boamah takes a look at how NHS trusts can benefit from an integrated ecosystem approach to services undertaken outside the confines of the laboratory.

With laboratory results playing a key role in an estimated 70% of clinical decisions, Janice Caputo looks at a customisable user interface that allows pathologists to determine how much or how little patient information they see in order to arrive at a diagnosis.

Pathology in Practice talks to Beckman Coulter’s Ibti Rashid about recent acquisitions and the role of automation in microbiology, with particular focus on the Iris urine testing solution.

With the pressure to deliver more test results at lower cost set to intensify, advanced information technology will enable laboratory professionals to be the drivers rather than the victims of change, as Martin Wilkinson explains.

The early detection of sepsis is vital in order to provide an appropriate patient treatment plan. Here, Wayne Kipp provides an overview of the condition and looks at the merits of the latest procalcitonin assay.

www.en.wikipedia.org Jmol Development Team Public domain

For some years bloodstream infections caused by microorganisms have been highly topical, especially in the context of hospital-associated infections. Such infections can be particularly problematic when they progress to sepsis, as Richard Broadhead explains.

A recent CliniSys user group meeting and annual conference provided an ideal opportunity to update delegates on a range of cutting-edge developments in areas such as wearable technology, portable learning and the application of social media.

Capturing circulating tumour cells in the blood would appear to offer women the chance of earlier detection of ovarian cancer, which is often diagnosed late in the course of the disease.

At the IBMS Biomedical Science Congress, almost every exhibitor will display their most recent technological advances and latest products. More than just an exhibition, this aspect of the biennial event offers, which is open both to delegates and visitors, has something for everyone.

David Gibbs and Kevin Watts recount the recent successful procurement for Bristol and Weston pathology services and suggest that the methodology used could be an exemplar healthcare IT procurement model.

Recently opened new pathology facilities at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent are seen as vital to the 10-year expansion plan for hospital services in the north of the county known as the garden of England.

Pathology services south of the Tyne have undergone a multimillion-pound transformation that has seen one company’s expertise in coagulation at the heart of a successful reorganisation of services across three hospitals.

Against a background of concern regarding possible carry over when using primary tube samples on automated urine analysers, Jamie Laughlin and colleagues report on a recent validation study.

Recurrent symptoms of potential abdominal disease are often difficult to interpret without laboratory support and input. Here, Jason Cunningham reviews the latest guidelines and testing panel.

The predominant strain of influenza virus circulating last winter was not as expected, and resulted in more severe illness. Here, Sally Taylor and Bob Jones assess a new multiplex PCR assay that provides results in hours rather than days, and offers patients prompt diagnoses.

Image: CDC/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Catherine Moore summarises early results from the use of a new respiratory pathogen panel that has particular application to the detection of influenza and other acute respiratory infections in the community.

A profile of the laboratory at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and the installation of, and progress with, the UK’s first Beckman Coulter DxH workcell.

The ubiquitous nature of HPV and its association with cervical cancer has resulted in the introduction of a vaccination programme and now calls for frontline testing both in screening and in identifying residual disease following treatment.