9,500 lab test results every 24 hours
A Medical Laboratory Technologist selects blood required for transfusion. Red blood cells have a shelf life of up to 42 days from the time of collection.
A glance around the brightly-lit space reveals complex equipment, long counters, plastic containers and racks of brightly-capped tubes.
Welcome to the world of the Niagara Health System Medical Laboratory Program, where 175 staff – pathologists, technologists, technicians and laboratory support workers – provide an astounding 3.5 million test results each year. That’s more than 9,500 test results every 24 hours!
“Our volumes for hospital patient tests have gone up almost 25% in three years, mainly due to a higher number of patients with serious conditions,” says Regional Technical Director Bonnie Sipos. “This has presented challenges in ensuring that timely, high-quality service is maintained at all sites. The lab managers and staff have risen to the challenge and continue to monitor our services and implement changes to best meet the needs of our patients.”
In fact, 85% of decisions about diagnosis and treatment are based on the results of laboratory tests. Stringent requirements set by Ontario Laboratory Accreditation, the provincial body that examines medical laboratories, must be met to ensure quality and safe patient care.
There are five NHS laboratory sites – Douglas Memorial, Greater Niagara General, Port Colborne, St. Catharines General and Welland – plus one specimen collection centre at Ontario Street Site. Public Health Laboratories and Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program are used for specialized testing such as screening for H1N1.
“One of the key components of the lab program is transfusion medicine, and Canadian Blood Services supplies blood and blood products for emergency blood transfusions, surgeries and other medical needs,” Bonnie says. “Our blood conservation program is part of this and helps surgical patients to donate their own blood for use during their surgeries.”
Going hand-in-hand with the study of body fluids is pathology, the dissection and study of body tissue, most often a micro examination of cells for cancer. Cancer Care Ontario’s various initiatives, including colorectal cancer screening and the expanding scope of cancer therapy in Niagara, are having significant impact on the surgical pathology area for providing accurate and timely diagnosis. “We may explore the possibilities of doing sophisticated hormonal studies for certain types of cancers,” Dr. Suhas Joshi, Regional Director of Laboratory Medicine, says. “We may need to perform some tumour marker studies like flow cytometry onsite to help reduce the wait times for treatment of cancer patients.”
Today’s equipment, such as the Vitros 5600 chemistry analyzer, is a high-capacity system that can perform up to 100 different types of blood tests. The NHS was the first hospital in Canada to put this new technology into use.
The introduction of Cellavision technology at Douglas and Port Colborne sites means an image of rare blood cells on a slide can be sent electronically for immediate consultation by pathologists or technologists at another NHS lab.
“It improves our turnaround times substantially, which is better for patients,” Bonnie says.
A recent presentation to the NHS Board Quality Committee showcased a number of lab initiatives to improve quality. “The lab program has been very successful, and there are some great learnings here that can be applied organization-wide,” said committee member Paul Leon. «
The functions of the lab:
Clinical Chemistry: Measurement of chemical components including hormones and drugs in blood and body fluids. Common test – blood glucose (sugar) test to diagnose and monitor diabetes.
Clinical Microbiology: Study of bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites that invade the body. Common test – throat swab to detect strep throat.
Diagnostic Cytology: Study of cells for the detection of cancer. Common test – pap test to detect cervical cancer.
Hematology: Study of diseases of blood cells and clotting mechanisms of blood. Common tests – Hemoglobin test to detect anemia and bone marrow examination for leukemia and lymphoma.
Surgical Pathology: Preparation and study of body tissue for detection of disease. Common test – biopsy of a breast lump for cancer.
Transfusion Medicine: Determination of blood types. Common test – cross matching for blood.
