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(I)Immunoassay Module 280 tests/hour 1600 tests/hour Loading 280 samples at one time 1000 tests/hour (B)Biochemistry Module (E)Electrolyte Module (S)Sample Processing Module www.snibe.com sales@snibe.com Jan.25th -28th , 2016 Dubai, UAE Za’abeel Hall 4 Z4B49 Integrated system THE EUROPEAN FORUM FOR THOSE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING HEALTHCARE WORK CONTENTS NEWS & MANAGEMENT 1-6 INFECTION CONTROL 7-8 DIGITAL PATHOLOGY 9-14 RADIOLOGY 15-17 RADIOLOGY & ULTRASOUND 18-20 www.healthcare-in-europe.com V O L 2 4 I S S U E 6 / 1 5 • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 Laboratory tests represent common, frequent and important decision support in patient care. Modern, rational healthcare would not be possible without an efficient laboratory service, warns Dr Astrid Petersmann In addition to physical examina- tions, medical history laboratory test results are critical in almost all medical decisions made in the hospital. The demand for adequate, fast measurements has increased exponentially over at least the last 50 years and may have increased 100-fold, or more, since the 1950s. This could not have been achieved without the introduction of partial or full automation, of course boost- ed by the availability of computers and micro devices. Nowadays highly consolidated and complex analysers can run hun- dreds of different assays simulta- neously at a rate of more than one thousand tests per hour. In the modernisation process monoto- nous, sometimes-dangerous work was eliminated and the precision and relevance of results improved beyond what was thought possible. This has been further emphasised by implementing quality manage- ment systems and formalised quality control mechanisms. Laboratory medicine is responsi- ble for only a comparatively small fraction of healthcare costs and amounts to less than five percent of these. However, the Point of Care Testing (POCT) market has grown much faster than the core laboratory market. Given today’s efficient tech- nology at hand in core laboratories, laboratory. Additionally, the latter often handle hundreds of different assays. If investment costs were cal- culated per assay, POCT could lose its economic attraction. The invest- ment costs may be hidden in the reagent costs when pay per use, or pay per patient result, are the basis for financing. Further, the price for a single assay POCT device may be affordable by individual hospital departments and the approval of hospital administration may not be needed. Managing directors might be surprised if they inspect their hospital for all POCTs in use. Patient safety is a critical issue. In the same hospital, assays offered by the core laboratory and a POCT can be of high quality yet could still lead to discrepancies in results, especially if there is no centrally managed POCT concept. If a patient receives results from both systems during his stay this question will be raised: Which result is the correct one? How can the clinician deal with these discrepancies? What is why has POCT also achieved an immense and accelerating growth in hospitals at the same time as core laboratories grew extremely efficient and highly standardised? Costs for POCT reagents often exceed costs for core laboratory tests several fold. Investment costs for a single POCT assay systems may seem low but POCT devices are limited to one or few assays only and do not produce a fraction of results during their life cycle com- pared with instruments in the core Continued on page 2 Costs are often several times higher than those for core laboratory tests POCT could lose economic attraction common knowledge to Laboratory Medicine does not receive a high awareness in other professions among the hospital medical and administration staff: assays may dif- fer systematically and it is not a rare finding, despite worldwide efforts for harmonisation. An issue affecting economics and patient safety at the same time can be summarised as ‘responsibilities connected to running laboratory test’. Regardless of how easy any POCT is, everyone in the workflow Biologist Astrid Petersmann MD specialises in laboratory medicine and is a senior physician at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University of Greifswald, Germany. She is also a member of the ‘POCT’ working group at The German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) NEWS & MANAGEMENT 1-6 • Munich medics meet refugee needs • Immunotherapy‘s big success • EU to avoid opioid epidemic DIGITAL PATHOLOGY 9-14 • Automation speeds pathology • Heading for precise diagnosis • Automation and huge data sets ©PongsakA/Shutterstock.com V O L 24 I S S U E 6 / 15 • D E C E M B E R 2015 / J A N U A R Y 2016

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