Pathology Service
- Staff
- Description of Service
- Specimen Collection and Identification
- Prahran Laboratory & Collection Centre
- Caulfield Collection Centre
- Sandringham Hospital Collection Centre
Staff
Description of Service
Consultation
Consultation is a way to obtain best value from the APS. If at any time you have a special need or any query, senior staff are always happy to assist.
Turn-around Time
Tests important to immediate patient care are performed on demand. Most other common tests are performed every day. Less-common and complex tests may take longer, especially if sent to an external laboratory.
Common automated tests, including UE, LFT, FBE and COAG are run 24 hours/day. For routine samples, turnaround time generally ranges between 1 hour and 4 hours. If this is satisfactory, please do not mark requests as "urgent" as this has an impact on samples from clinical emergencies.
Test Requesting
Electronic ordering is available through Powerchart and is the preferred mode for ordering tests due to increased accuracy and efficiency.
A single form may be used for all tests except Blood Bank. Note the legal and practical requirements for:
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adequate patient and specimen identification
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tests in the doctor's handwriting
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name and signature of requesting doctor and the request date
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patient location
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relevant clinical notes
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doctor's beeper or telephone number (space provided)
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Clear handwriting
Reports and File Enquiry
Urgent results are telephoned or faxed if this is requested and a telephone or pager number is supplied.
Cumulative reports for each admission are printed after patient discharge and, if requested, also on an interim basis.
Results are available for enquiry on computer terminals as soon as they are verified. It takes as long to make a file enquiry in the laboratory as it does in the ward so it is usually quicker, and always more reliable, to obtain results from a computer terminal than from a telephone call.
Specimen Collection and Identification
Valid Specimens
Test results are meaningless or, worse, totally misleading unless obtained from valid specimens. A valid specimen must be from the correct patient, in the correct container and receive the correct handling.
Minimum Specimen Identification
Every specimen or container must clearly identify the patient to whom it relates.
The minimum acceptable identification is either-
Surname plus UR number, or
Surname plus Given Name plus Date of Birth.
As a general policy, based on patient safety, incorrectly or inadequately labelled specimens are rejected. Exemptions to this policy, for irreplaceable specimens, may only be made by Pathology's senior medical or scientific staff.
Special Requirements
Many tests rely on the specimen being in a specific type of container (e.g. EDTA anticoagulant), being handled in a specific way (e.g. placed on ice) or being delivered in a timely manner. These requirements are specified in the online Pathology Handbook.
Contamination
For hospitalised patients, a common source of misleading results is contamination of the specimen with i.v. fluid. Contamination can cause high results (e.g. infusion of a concentrate), low results (dilution of specimen) or can have unpredictable effects (e.g. drug interference with analytical reaction).
Haemolysis
Haemolysis releases cellular contents, notably potassium, into plasma. It may also cause interference with some analytical reactions. In vitro haemolysis can be caused by excessive manual drawing on a syringe, or by use of a small-bore needle.
N.B. For ward-based analysers, even specimens taken from catheters may be haemolysed. Haemolysis cannot be seen in whole blood!
Prahran Laboratory & Collection Centre
LOCATION
Laboratories
Located in the Main Ward Block ,Ground floor, South-east
Collection Rooms
Located in the Main Ward Block, Ground Floor, Central Corridor
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Main Switch 9076 3888
SERVICE PROVIDED
|
LABORATORY |
STAFF ON DUTY |
AFTER HOURS TESTING |
|
|
HOURS |
Mon-Fri |
Sat-Sun |
|
|
Core Laboratory |
24 Hours |
24 Hours |
See next paragraph |
|
Anatomical Path |
08:00-17:30 |
(On call) |
Call 9483 4444 Pager 268926 |
|
Microbiology |
08:00-20:30 |
08:00-17:00 |
Page via switch |
APS core laboratory is open 24 hours every day of the year, and specimens may be delivered at any time. After Hours, however, only a limited number of staff are rostered to perform a restricted range of critical tests.
The Alfred has many acutely ill patients so after-hours staff are often extremely busy. Pressure to perform routine testing jeopardises the critical care service.
Inpatient Collection Service
Routine Rounds 07:00-11:00, Monday-Sunday
(Call service, page 4412) 11:00-13:00, Monday-Friday
Outpatient Collection Rooms
Opening Hours 08:30-17:00, Monday-Friday
Electronic requesting of routine testing expedites collection and processing and so provides results sooner. Early completion of request forms is encouraged.
Urgent specimens must be collected by doctors or nurses.
Important: see SPECIMEN COLLECTION AND IDENTIFICATION.
Sandringham Hospital Collection Centre
Click here for informatinon about the Sandringham Hospital Collection Centre
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related links| Lab Tests Online |