Point-of-care testing (POCT) can be defined as clinical laboratory testing that is carried out close to the site of patient care. POCT caters for the sector of users that require fast results from patient samples that would otherwise be sent to a dedicated remote laboratory (Willmott and Arrowsmith, 2010). According to Junker et al. (2010), a range of tests including blood glucose measurement, blood gases and electrolytes, urea, creatinine, troponin, bilirubin, and coagulation testing can be carried out by POCT. Junker et al. (2010), state that the main uses of POCT devices are in hospitals and medical practices, however, they are also used in other areas for example in operating theatres and intensive care wards, house visits, and the military. Although rapid, results obtained on POCT devices may differ from those obtained in a core laboratory, especially as POCT is typically performed by non-laboratory staff who may have limited technical knowledge and appreciation of quality issues. To ensure an accurate result, it is therefore important that a good quality system is in place to ensure the test is performed correctly and the equipment is adequately maintained. The diversity and evolution of technologies in the POCT field have improved dramatically over recent years and this change has been mirrored by user demands. The user will need to consider the service they can provide to the patient whilst also operating within financial constraints. POCT is known to be more expensive than laboratory testing.
Blood gas analysers are important pieces of equipment in acute service locations when results are required quickly. Various analyses can be performed on a single blood sample, using blood gas analysers. Sediame et al. (1999) und...
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...ace tests carried out by blood services, but there are several impacts in doing so as mentioned above. According to CPA (2007), medical laboratory standards are set to specific criteria including quality management, laboratory facilities, training, specimen collection and handling, and specimen transport to name a few. If POCT were to replace blood services, there would be a huge impact with regards to CPA. It can be concluded that POCT should be used in addition to laboratory testing. POCT may be of value in emergency departments that are faced with a high volume of patients, and may help in shortening the patients stay in hospital (Hsiao et al, 2007). POCT provides a timely alternative to laboratory testing and will be driven by many of the same factors that affect clinical laboratories in the foreseeable future.
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In conclusion, I found the lab session very informative and helpful in completing the Denison Hospital case assignment. It was particularly helpful in inputting the formula equations into the excel spreadsheet in order to answer the requirement questions of each section within the case study. Therefore, I look forward to future lab sessions on the assignments for Stratton Township Park and City of
The pros of the CPOE system included that the prescribing of wrong medications was reduced, there were fewer errors with the patient’s basic information, orders for lab work, blood work, and medications were standardized; and mistakes in the ordering...
The first test showed a decrease in blood pH and a major increase in the partial pressure of oxygen. The patient was placed on a ventilator during surgery on the date of admission, which could be the reason as to why his partial pressure of oxygen was increased. The patient’s blood pH was low in the first test. While it was barely in the normal range, the patient’s bicarb was close to being low as well. The patient was injured which resulted in fluid shifts that could have affected the amount of bicarbonate in the patient’s blood, resulting in a decrease in the blood’s pH. This means the patient was at risk for metabolic acidosis. The next day the patient’s blood pH had increased to a normal level and the bicarbonate level had also increased. The patent’s partial pressure of oxygen had also decreased, due to a decrease in the fraction of inspired oxygen, possibly from changes to the setting of the
...(CBC), Activated Partial Thrombo Plastin Time (APTT) Test, Prothombin Time (PT) Test, and Fibrinogen Test”.
There have been an incidents of prolonged hospital stay due to central line infections putting patients at risk for mortality, morbidity, and increase in medical cost. When central lines are placed at bedside or in interventional radiology, the inserter is required to document the steps and sterile procedure that took place in the electronic health record. Furthermore, with weekly and as needed dressing changes, nurses are required to use central line bundles and document what was used (ex: Chloraprep, biopatch, tegaderm, etc.) to track how the dressing was done. From these documented records, staff can gather data and measure the compliance of sterile procedure. Additionally, if a patient with a central line develops a fever without an unknown cause physician will order blood culture from the central line if catheter-related infection is suspected. If the test comes back positive, the team will initiate antibiotics immediately. By integrating electronic health records it can assist in CLABSI prevention strategies, raise the standard for best practices, and essentially reduce central line infections. With the quarterly results of CLABSI in our unit, CVC committee have re-educated the staff on appropriate dressing changes using sterile technique, transitioned to a different end
The Joint commission, is a private agency with considerable power over healthcare institutions in that it performs certain responsibilities yet it is outside of the government. One of the Joint commission’s roles is monitoring quality in hospital services. This includes monitoring that standards are met in hospital laboratories. It is also responsible for auditing logs and confirming that instrumentation calibration is keep to standards. JCAHO is also well known for announcing their arrival for inspection in a few days to surprise inspections. In many cases this
There are many different reasons to get lab work done before a medication is given. For example, it is important to do a WBC when suspecting a bacterial infection in order to know which medication will be effective (Touhy, 2012). Also, when giving blood thinners such as heparin, it is important to know the prothombin time which determines whether or not to give the medication (Touhy, 2012). In patients with dia...
Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications (3rd edition). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.
This branch of biomedical science has a significant effect on the society of the modern world. The science of haematology significantly influences the understanding of several diseases due to the nature of the blood. This is clearly visible during identification of diseases such as leukaemia, anaemia and abnormalities of blood coagulation that are completed through haematological tests. Some of the haematological tests done in biomedical science industry include of Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH), Karyotype Test and Serum Ferritin.
...d procedures are now being monitored to improve clinical processes. Ensuring that these processes are implemented in a timely, effective manner can also improve the quality of care given to patients. Management of the processes ensures accountability of the effectiveness of care, which, as mentioned earlier, improves outcomes. Lastly, providing reimbursements based on the quality of care and not the quantity also decreases the “wasting” and overuse of supplies. Providers previously felt the need to do more than necessary to meet a certain quota based on a quantity of supplies or other interventions used. Changing this goal can significantly decrease the cost of care due to using on the supplies necessary to provide effective, high-quality care. I look forward to this implementation of change and hope to see others encouraging an increase in high-quality healthcare.
Blood stains are one type of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. Blood that is still in the liquid form should be picked up on a gauze pad. Once the blood is dried thoroughly it should be refrigerated and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 1). If the blood stain is found dried on clothing, the officer should wrap the piece of clothing in clean paper and place it in a sealed and labeled container. An object with dried blood stains needs to be sent to the Laboratory if it is small enough. If the object is too large to send, then using a clean knife the stain needs to be scraped onto a clean piece of paper, which then can be folded and placed in an envelope (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 2). When collecting autopsy blood samples, the officer should request that the pathologist obtain the sample directly from the heart and place it in a yellow or purple stoppered vacutainer. If the victim is still alive but in serious need of a blood transfusion, then the pre-transfusion blood sample needs to be obtained promptly before the hospital discards it (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 4). It is important for the Laboratory to receive all blood samples within 48 ho...
Westgard, J. O. (2013). Perspectives on Quality Control, Risk Management, and Analytical Quality Management. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 33(1), 1-14.
patient is going into DIC when in fact she is not. By checking a slide to verify the platelet
Blood safety is an important issue. People end up needing blood transfusions for many reasons that all mean they have already entered the medical system needing care for injuries or disease, yet there is a risk that their treatment can hurt or even kill them. Public health has made tremendous strides in blood safety over the past few decades, but there is still more that needs to be done. Because of how broad the donation system is, individual treatment of these adverse reactions is not a good preventative measure and instead this must be seen as a public health issue. Increased reporting, studies, and analysis should be done to decrease the number of adverse reactions to blood and blood products.
Assessment is defined as “an exercise—such as a written test, portfolio, or experiment—that seeks to measure a student's skills or knowledge in a subject area” (edweek.com). Mainly today, we rely on multiple-choice exams, or tests that are easy to grade in a very generalized manner. The focus is mainly on math and reading, and requires remembering an assortment of different facts. Alternatives to these testing norms are often called alternative assessment. Alternative assessment is defined as “any form of measuring what students know and are able to do other than traditional standardized tests. Alternative forms of assessment include portfolios, performance-based assessments, and other means of testing students.” Performance-based assessment “requires students to perform hands-on tasks, such as writing an essay or conducting a science experiment. Such assessments are becoming increasingly common as alternatives to multiple-choice, machine-scored tests. Also known as authentic assessment.” This seems like an incredibly promising form of assessing an individual student, yet it remains less used because it is more involved. A portfolio is “a systematic and organized collection of a student's work throughout a course or class year. It measures the student's knowledge and skills and often includes some form of self-reflection by the student.” This is also used in many situations, but again, based on personal experience at many schools, the portfolios seem to have little influence on monitoring a students academic success. Measuring the performance of a student should be a completely holistic effort, and should be intensive. It may require a lot of work for the teacher, and qualifications would be ...