Behind Every Patient is a Medical Laboratory Professional
April 05, 2024
Every year in Ontario, millions of laboratory tests are performed by laboratory professionals, enabling physicians and other care providers to make diagnostic and treatment decisions for countless patients. The staff in the laboratories of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) work around-the-clock to provide patient results of the highest quality while constantly working to improve current processes and implement upgraded equipment.
One of the biggest improvements undertaken this past year was the complete renovation of the laboratory at our Seaforth Community Hospital site. New flooring, modular benching and more space to accommodate a new, larger chemistry analyzer will improve workflow and ensure the space conforms to Accreditation Canada Diagnostics requirements. During the renovation, the lab was temporarily relocated to a former Operating Room. The fact that an entire lab was able to move locations and maintain service with little downtime is impressive, but everyone is very excited to begin moving into the new space in the next few weeks.
Sarah, MLA/T & Rebecca, MLA/T in the newly finished Seaforth Community Hospital Laboratory
Here's some other important improvements we've made in the past year!
- Our four Core Labs have implemented new chemistry analyzers and middleware that will reduce downtime, improve remote verification of results and make high-sensitive troponin and lipase testing more accessible.
- Microbiology staff at our Stratford General Hospital have been working to validate more molecular assays, decreasing turnaround times while increasing accuracy of results for various infections.
- Anatomical Pathology implemented a new routine stainer for pathology specimens and a new immunohistochemistry stainer which uses antibodies to check for certain markers in tissue samples, allowing for faster diagnosis of cancers and personalized treatment plans for patients undergoing cancer therapy.
Michelle, MLA/T with a new phlebotomy cart in the lab at Clinton Public Hospital.
So much work goes on behind the scenes in the HPHA laboratories, and National Medical Laboratory Week, April 14-20, gives us an opportunity to share some of that with our HPHA colleagues! It also allows us to celebrate the amazing team whose work is so vital to the care of our patients.
Amanda, Charge MLT, Nicole, MLA/T & Wei, MLA/T with the new chemistry analyzer at St. Marys Memorial Hospital.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our Foundations and their donors. Their continued support allows us to provide the best patient care possible.
Kiran, MLT; Karyn, Charge MLT; Kristin, MLA/T; Dakotah, MLT and Charlene, MLT with the BD Max Molecular System in Microbiology at Stratford General Hospital.