#australian clinical labs pathology

[boxhillsuperclinicaustralia]

https://www.boxhillsuperclinic.com.au/services/pathology/

Pathology Home Service | Boxhillsuperclinic

Boxhillsuperclinic proudly announce Dorevitch Pathology as our partner in diagnostics pathology services and as a test/sample collection centre for BoxHill centre. You can call on 03 9899 8668,  03 9899 4818 or After Hours: 137 425. Searching for the best medical services from Box Hill Superclinic in Melbourne, Australia.

[familyclinics]

Comprehensive Guide to Pathology Services in Melbourne

Pathology services are a crucial component of healthcare, providing essential diagnostic information that guides effective treatment and management of various medical conditions. If you’re in Melbourne and seeking reliable pathology services, this guide will help you understand what to expect, the types of services available, and how to choose the best pathology clinic.

Why Pathology Services are Essential

Pathology involves the study and diagnosis of diseases through the examination of bodily fluids, tissues, and organs. Pathologists play a critical role in healthcare by:

Accurately Diagnosing Conditions: From infections to cancers, pathologists help identify the exact cause of illness.

Guiding Treatment Plans: Accurate diagnosis is essential for determining the most effective treatment.

Monitoring Progress: Regular pathology tests can track the effectiveness of treatments and disease progression.

Preventive Care: Early detection through routine tests can prevent the development of serious health issues.

Types of Pathology Services

Clinical Pathology: Involves laboratory analysis of blood, urine, and other body fluids. Common tests include complete blood counts (CBC), lipid panels, and liver function tests.

Anatomical Pathology: Focuses on the examination of surgical specimens or biopsies to diagnose diseases such as cancer.

Cytopathology: The study of individual cells to diagnose conditions like cervical cancer through Pap smears.

Molecular Pathology: Uses DNA and RNA analysis to diagnose genetic disorders and infectious diseases.

Microbiology: Identifies infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi to determine the cause of infections.

Choosing the Right Pathology Clinic in Melbourne

When selecting a pathology Melbourne clinic, consider the following factors:

Accreditation and Certification: Ensure the clinic is accredited by relevant health authorities and employs certified pathologists and technicians.

Range of Services: Choose a clinic that offers comprehensive services to meet your diagnostic needs.

Advanced Technology: State-of-the-art equipment and modern laboratory techniques ensure accurate and timely results.

Experienced Staff: Highly trained and experienced pathologists can provide accurate diagnoses and insightful interpretations of results.

Convenience and Accessibility: Look for a clinic with convenient locations and hours, as well as online services for booking appointments and viewing results.

Top Pathology Clinics in Melbourne

Melbourne boasts numerous reputable pathology clinics. Here are a few to consider:

Melbourne Pathology: Known for its comprehensive range of services and state-of-the-art laboratories.

Dorevitch Pathology: Offers extensive diagnostic services with multiple convenient locations across Melbourne.

Australian Clinical Labs: Provides advanced pathology services with a focus on innovation and quality care.

Preparing for Your Pathology Visit

To ensure a smooth and effective pathology visit, follow these tips:

Understand Your Test: Know what the test involves and any preparations needed, such as fasting.

Bring Necessary Documentation: Carry your referral form and any previous test results.

Follow Pre-Test Instructions: Adhere to any specific instructions given by your doctor or the pathology clinic.

Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to ask the staff about the procedure, expected outcomes, and how to access your results.

Accurate pathology services are vital for effective healthcare. By choosing a reputable pathology clinic in Melbourne, you can ensure you receive precise diagnoses and high-quality care. At [Your Clinic Name], we are committed to providing top-notch pathology services with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, and patient care.

If you need pathology services in Melbourne, contact us today to book an appointment and experience our exceptional diagnostic care.

[10minus6cosm]

RCPA microbiology training – resources and notes (Part 2)

Part II preparation

I approached this quite differently from Part I - I didn't really use textbooks but instead spent a lot of time going through guidelines and websites instead.

I continued to use my Anki study deck from Part I (which functioned as revision for Part I knowledge), and kept adding to it during this time.

My study group prepared for this in a similar way to Part I viva by running through questions with each other – by the time we got to the exam we were all very used to answering questions over Zoom in the viva format!

Book reviews

How to be a lab director (I used a version that was around 2014, updated version is https://www.amazon.sg/How-Be-Lab-Director-2023/dp/B0BR9CYH1C/)

This is the one book that really stood out to me for RCPA Part II preparation

Very frank account of managing a laboratory that includes talking about management, quality and EQAs. But because it is so frank - some of it is stuff that you can't use as an answer during exams! Very useful for thinking about various aspects of lab management that you might not have come across previously.

Websites and guidelines (Australian)

Part I websites/guidelines/alerts remain important, though I went into the websites in far more detail this round and read a lot more guidelines.

Additional websites and guidelines that may be more Part II related than Part I related as below. I generally just went to each website and kept clicking on links and documents that sounded potentially related to microbiology then read as much as I could around these.

RCPA website

As for Part I - webinars, policies, guidelines, position statements

Also has slides/information on

Management and clinical governance

2022 workshop slides

Laboratory informatics

Pathology informatics workshops 2019 and 2023 slides https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Library/Practising-Pathology/PTIS/APUTS-FAQ

NPAAC/NATA

2020 risk based NPAAC standards

2022 NATA RCPA accreditation assessors workshop

POCT elements of a quality framework (June 2014)

ACSQHC https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au

All of the NPAAC documents Also has a lot of other documents that are related to microbiology, including

Antimicrobial stewardship

C diff surveillance

CARAlert

CLABSI surveillance

CPE control

Cumulative antibiogram

Environmental cleaning

Infection prevention

Mycobacterium chimaera

National antimicrobial resistance strategy

Open disclosure

Preventing and controlling infections standard

Sepsis

Bloodstream infection surveillance

Surgical site infection surveillance

Multi-resistant organism surveillance

Best to browse around the site and have a look at anything that sounds related to microbiology. The site is quite broad so need to sieve out microbiology-related things (like the above list) from the ones that are very unlikely to be of relevance to microbiology.

NATA/RCPA accreditation

NATA https://nata.com.au

Human Pathology ISO15189 https://nata.com.au/accreditation/medical-laboratory-accreditation-iso-15189/

There is also this gap analysis document https://nata.com.au/files/2023/03/SAG_11_2_ISO_15189_2022_Gap_Analysis.pdf that analyses the differences between 2012 and 2022 versions of ISO15189.

NATA accreditation process

https://www.odwyeraccreditation.com.au/nata-accreditation/nata-accreditation-process/

TGA https://www.tga.gov.au

This has a lot of information on medical devices (IVDs), biologicals, etc. Again probably best to browse around the site and have a look for microbiology-related things.

Some of the information they have that is likely relevant to microbiology include

IVD standards https://www.tga.gov.au/how-we-regulate/manufacturing/manufacture-medical-device/manufacture-specific-types-medical-devices/vitro-diagnostic-ivd-medical-devices

Classification of IVD medical devices

Biologicals regulation https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/australian-regulatory-guidelines-biologicals-argb

Faecal microbiota transplant standards

Clinical performance requirements and risk mitigation strategies for HIV tests

Chlamydia/gonorrhoea/syphilis IVD self tests

COVID-19 in vitro diagnostics

COVID-19 rapid antigen tests

Hepatitis B/C viruses IVD self tests

Seasonal influenza rapid antigen combination tests

Clinical performance requirements and risk mitigation strategies for HIV tests

Regulatory requirements for in house IVDs

Fairwork Australia

Information about employment in Australia and issues surrounding this https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/best-practice-guides/managing-underperformance

Australian Privacy Principles

https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/australian-privacy-principles-quick-reference

Individual state department of health websites, health.gov.au website

I went through the websites and clicked on anything that sounded potentially relevant to ID or microbiology. There is quite a bit of good information on these websites so is useful to just click through them, and some states have nice guidelines for certain things.

As for Part I – also looked at current health alerts here.

Clinical incident management

WA guideline 2019 https://www.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/Policy-Frameworks/Clinical-Governance-Safety-and-Quality/Policy/Clinical-Incident-Management-Policy-2019/Supporting/Clinical-Incident-Management-Guideline-2019.pdf

Queensland guide https://clinicalexcellence.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/resourses/clinicalincidentguide.pdf

Other useful sites and documents

NT guidelines for management of people with infectious diseases who put others at risk of infection

https://digitallibrary.health.nt.gov.au/prodjspui/bitstream/10137/976/1/Management%20of%20people%20with%20infectious%20diseases%20who%20knowingly%20put%20others%20at%20risk%20Guideline.pdf

Specific additional things to look up for Part II

Not comprehensive!

Business case proposal

New and emerging technologies

Total lab automation

Rapid blood culture diagnostics

AI in pathology

NGS and sequencing

New and emerging drugs e.g. olorofim, ibrexafungerp

OneHealth

Handling of risk group 4 agents

Workplace and policies - burnout, diversity/inclusion/equality, harassment/bullying, complaints policy

Privacy/confidentiality

Laboratory informatics and communication, including critical/high risk results

HIV testing algorithms

Outbreak investigation and management

Business continuity plan

Preparedness plan

Investigation of erroneous result/lab error

Introduction of new test

Quality system essentials

QC, QA, EQA, anything to do with quality

Centralisation/decentralisation of laboratories

Clinical governance pillars

Spill and hazard management

Laboratory safety

Risk management

Diagnostic stewardship

Deciding whether to send out a test or create an in house test

Molecular vs culture

Construction healthcare infection prevention

ISO15189

Open disclosure

POCT, self-testing, issues surrounding these

Additional notes about Part II preparation

I found it really useful to have definitions for various things e.g. privacy, confidentiality, bullying, harassment, discrimination, etc.

I also found it useful to have frameworks/templates for various topics

Outbreak investigation/management

Investigation of erroneous results, unexpected results, lab errors

Introduction of new test

Quality system essentials

Centralisation of laboratories

Dealing with staff problems

Clinical governance pillars

Spill/hazard management and risk

Business plan

Business continuity plan

Some buzzwords…

Multidisciplinary approach

Risk based approach

Risk vs benefit

Quality vs cost

Open disclosure

Preventing future incidents

[digitalcombination]

How Australian Clinical Labs Can Help Your Health

How Australian Clinical Labs Can Help Your Health

Australian Clinical Labs Ltd. provides pathology testing for both routine and advanced conditions. Its services include routine pathology, genetic testing, first-trimester screening, non-invasive prenatal testing, hematology, immunology, and functional pathology. Its locations span Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland. Read on to find out how this company…

[businessguysonline]

APRA intensifies scrutiny of Medibank after major cyberattack

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has intensified its supervision of private health insurer Medibank (ASX: MPL) following a cyberattack which stole the personal details of 9.7 million customers in Australia.

The breach is part of a growing trend of cyberattacks hitting Australian companies, including Australian Clinical Labs (ASX: ACL) owned Medlab Pathology, which saw the health records and credit card information of 223,000 patients and staff leaked one month ago.

APRA said it has “informed the scope” of an external review being conducted by Deloitte, which is also looking into a data breach impacting 10 million current and former Optus customers.

Read More: https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/apra-intensifies-scrutiny-of-medibank-after-major-cyberattack.html

[mysteryexchange81-blog]

A Melbourne pathology clinic making sure you are in a safe clean and sterile environment while preforming a wide range of medical tests Australian clinical labs taking covid seriously .

[drferox]

Just a little early morning ramblings.

‘Veterinarian’ is a pretty trusted profession, by and large, and we should be respecting that trust that the general public puts in us. And most of the time, that trust is very well placed as we all have this core belief of wanting to do well by the animals in front of us.

This makes it maddening when random lynch mobs on the internet start spouting anti-vet rhetoric and conspiracy theories about us all being uncaring, money-grubbers, that are deliberately poisoning pets via collusion with drug companies and pet food manufacturers. Seriously, I had one recently that was convinced Royal Canin only used genetically modified pigs that contain human DNA in their pet food. I don’t know what cool aid they were drinking but I don’t really want to know.

Most or us just want to do a good job, make a decent living and sleep easy at night. We have a lot of stressors and we don’t need unfounded accusations on top of that.

And then, I will just find myself staring at my own industry and shaking my head. Like... can you not do things that compromise the perceived integrity of the profession? I said perceived because it doesn’t matter if anything ever goes on or not, if it’s even perceived as a possibility of a conflict of interest then trust in the profession goes down.

And I do not wish to be the sort of vet who goes against the mainstream because by and large I think the mainstream is doing a good job, but I am uneasy about some things.

Case in point, the corporate sponsors for the Australian Veterinary Association.

Now despite paying really quite high fees for AVA membership, and more again if I wanted to go to a conference, the AVA has lots of corporate sponsors. They give the organisation money basically in exchange for advertising and access to vets. They get adds in the journal, space at conference industry exhibits, sponsor lectures and so on.

Of course each corporate sponsor only does so because they think it makes financial sense, not the goodness of their hearts. So lets just take a moment to look at what these sponsors do. Some of them I am more comfortable with than others, but I’d encourage you to make your own judgement calls. Nobody is immune to advertising, but it helps to be aware of what they’re after.

Platinum supporters: The top tier

Hills, the manufacturer of the Science Diet and prescription diet range. They sell food for pets with the usual tagline of ‘recommended by the most vets’.

Greencross, an employer of the largest corporate chain of clinics in Australia. Which gets a discount for it’s employees to become AVA members. The AVA, which has multiple functions, one of which is lobbying the government about relevant amendments to laws.

Guild Insurance, who mostly manages superannuation (kind of like US social security) and provides things like professional indemnity insurance for individuals and businesses.

Provvet, a national wholesaler who sells almost everything to everyone.

Gold supporters: The middle tier but sounds better

Bank of Queensland Specialist, which is a bank that preferentially gives loans (home, car, business, etc) to medical professionals and accountants, including vets, as we are presumably low risk. 

Idexx, a pathology lab that runs a bunch of vet tests, including a few exclusive ones, and sells in-house path equipment.

Ilium, a drug manufacturer, mostly generics.

Royal Canin, another pet food manufacturer with a normal and prescription range.

Silver Supporters: The last category where more than one of the same type of business can sponsor

Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company.

Jurox, a pharmaceutical company. 

Virbac, a pharmaceutical company. 

Zoetic, a pharmaceutical company. Formerly the animal health division of Pfizer.

Now, one of these things is not like the others, and I don’t like it very much. I understand that sponsorship helps fund the organisation, but I feel like some conflicts of interest should be better scrutinized.

Because if we don’t scrutinize ourselves, and I mean as a group, we do it plenty as individuals, our detractors will do it anyway, and we don’t need to give them a head start.

[happyplanet1]

Australia Pathology Service Provider Hacked, Data of Thousands of Patients Stolen as Hacking Epidemic Widens

Australia Pathology Service Provider Hacked, Data of Thousands of Patients Stolen as Hacking Epidemic Widens

Australian Clinical Labs, one of Australia’s largest pathology providers said hackers stole medical data of thousands of patients, the country’s second such breach in two weeks, deepening fears about how companies collect sensitive customer information. The disclosure on Thursday sent shares of Australian Clinical Labs to their lowest point since listing last year and extends a wave of hacks that…

[kriznews]

[ad_1] Australian Clinical Labs, one of Australia's largest pathology providers said hackers stole medical data of thousands of patients, the country's second such breach in two weeks, deepening fears about how companies collect sensitive customer information. The disclosure on Thursday sent shares of Australian Clinical Labs to their lowest point since listing last year and extends a wave of hacks that has shaken the country's biggest companies. A day earlier, the country's top health insurer Medibank said criminals took data of all 4 million of its customers.ACL said it first knew of unauthorised access to the IT system of its pathology unit, Medlab, in February and received advice that no information was compromised. The government cybersecurity agency notified it in June that its data had been posted on the Dark Web, a system of websites only accessible through certain browsers.The company said it then hired forensic analysts to study the "complex and unstructured" dataset found there, learning that 223,000 patients' data had been exposed, including medical and health records for about 18,000 people.There was no ransom demand or evidence of misuse of the data, but "we recognise the concern and inconvenience this incident may cause those who have used Medlab's services and have taken steps to identify individuals affected", ACL Chief Executive Officer Melinda McGrath said in a statement.Private equity firm Crescent Capital, which listed ACL in 2021 and holds 23 percent of its shares, declined to comment. Crescent sold 14.3 percent of the company in August, stock market filings show.Outside of health providers, corporate Australia has been bracing since September 22, when the country's second-largest telco, Singapore Telecommunications-owned Optus, disclosed a breach of up to 10 million customer accounts, equivalent to 40 percent of the country's population.Top grocery chain Woolworths then revealed that the data of millions of customers using its bargain shopping website had been compromised. A raft of smaller and unlisted companies have also made breach notifications, prompting lawyers to question the amount of data that private enterprises are allowed to collect, and for how long.© Thomson Reuters 2022Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details. [ad_2]

[newslobster]

Australian Clinical Labs Hacked, Data Stolen as Hacking Epidemic Widens

Australian Clinical Labs Hacked, Data Stolen as Hacking Epidemic Widens

Australian Clinical Labs, one of Australia’s largest pathology providers said hackers stole medical data of thousands of patients, the country’s second such breach in two weeks, deepening fears about how companies collect sensitive customer information. The disclosure on Thursday sent shares of Australian Clinical Labs to their lowest point since listing last year and extends a wave of hacks that…

[sachkiawaaj]

Lab shuts Covid-19 testing sites Daily Telegraph. News. 20/12/21. Heffron Park, Maroubra, Sydney. Pics by Julian Andrews. Pictures show people being tested at the Heffron Park drive-through COVID test centre in Maroubra.

Lab shuts Covid-19 testing sites Daily Telegraph. News. 20/12/21. Heffron Park, Maroubra, Sydney. Pics by Julian Andrews. Pictures show people being tested at the Heffron Park drive-through COVID test centre in Maroubra.

A major pathology lab has temporarily shut 28 of its Covid-19 testing sites as it struggles to keep up with demand. A major pathology lab has temporarily shut 28 Covid-19 testing clinics across NSW as it struggles to keep up with demand. Australian Clinical Labs made the decision to shut the labs on Monday and said it would progressively reopen from Tuesday as it cleared the backlog of…

[10minus6cosm]

A Word of Advice to Our Trainees

There is general advice and exam specific advice (highlighted text has hyperlinks).

General Advice

This applies to preparing for local practice in Singapore. This has a slightly American slant (unfortunately the exams you will be sitting are British and Australian).

Refer to your JCST Seamless Programme Medical Microbiology Training Syllabus and use this as a checklist. Literally tick off each item as you go so that there are no gaps in your training experience.

During your lab training you will be used to seeing tests as individual items. However you must get your head round to seeing things also from the clinician’s perspective. For a patient presenting with a particular syndrome which battery of tests are appropriate for that individual patient? Even for a single pathogen (particularly with viruses), there may be a choice of different tests that can be used. Which are most appropriate for that particular situation? This is one of the characteristics that distinguishes medical student knowledge from that of a microbiology trainee. 

I suggest right at the beginning of training to get the fundemental cliinical perspective in place by reading Infectious Diseases A Clinical Approach by Yung et al. This is book is simple enough to be read in a fortnight. (Update Jan 2020: The new kid on the block is Comprehensive Review of Infectious Diseases by Spec A et al-which comes with an ebook with over 400 nicely written MCQs-unfortunately it probably can’t be finished in 2 weeks).

Please get yourself a microbiology textbook and systematically read it from cover-to-cover. The most appropriate at time of writing is the latest edition of Koneman’s Color Atlas and Text book of Diagnostic Microbiology. You should try to complete reading this book within your first year of training.

This will not be enough for Virology. Some may find Khare Guide to Clinical and Diagnostic Virology too simple but I think reading it cover-to-cover is still useful for the 1st year trainee. For subsequent years you will need to read selectively  Loeffelholz Clinical Virology Manual for the lab perspective and maybe dip into Richman Clinical Virology for the clinical approach.

The following websites are useful

For parasitology

CDC DPDx

Gorgas Course Case of the Week

CREEPY DREADFUL WONDERFUL PARASITES

For mycology

Mycology Online

One of the first things you should acquaint yourself with is the local lab, and hospital, biosafety and disinfection/sterilization policies. For lab biosafety the freely available BMBL should suffice as a reference.

In practice, you can expect to give a lot of advice on specimen collection so please familiarize yourself with our Pathology Handbook (and know where to find it). For reference you should look at A Guide to Specimen Management in Clinical Microbiology.

You should also familiarize yourself with our lab manuals (and those of the labs you visit when posted out-ask yourself why they are doing things differently from us).

For technical details you should also refer to the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook.

There are 2 books you will always be consulting as references

Mandell, Douglas, and Benett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases Use this when you are following up interesting cases or building up your case portfolio

ASM Manual of Clinical Microbiology Not to be used as your primary textbook!

The most useful journals to read are the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Microbiology Newsletter and Clinical Microbiology Reviews.

Please also look at the Cumitech Collection and the CLSI documents.

For infection control I like Lautenbach Practical Healthcare Epidemiology. For more details you should be keeping up to date with journals like Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Journal of Hospital Infection.

By the time you start preparing for the Part 2 exams you should be dealing with, and reading up on, management issues.

You should have helped trouble shooting of QA failures, and be familiar with the other CLSI documents that are relevant to lab practice but not microbiology specific. You should have been involved in at least one CAP accreditation inspection and should have passed the CAP inspector course itself.

The most useful lab management textbooks are

Garcia Clinical Lab Management Wagar Lab Administration for Pathologists Varnadoe Medical Laboratory Management and Supervision

But you should also familarize yourself with the local regulations governing labs and your hospital policy for issues like staff discipline etc…

Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath)

Look up the FRCPath training syllabus and tick off items to make sure you have covered all the ground. Look up past-year exams so that during your training you get a sense which lab situations you encounter are likely to come up as exam topics.

The principle of the postgraduate exams is they test you for your suitability to be a consultant. Because local practice is more lab-based, you will have to simulate the UK training environment.

A UK trainee may handle 5-10 positive blood cultures a day followed by a ward round that covers another 5 patients with infection issues like osteomyelitis or septic arthritis, AND a daily ICU round. They may encounter an infection control scenario every 1-2 weeks (needlestick, outbreak, staff exposure etc…). For this, they are giving specific advice including further investigations, antibiotic choice, dosage (remember they are also advising on therapeutic drug moniitoring for vancomycin and aminoglycosides), infection control measures, etc…

Even though we do not manage patients like they do in the UK you should build up your own personal case portfolio based on what you report in the lab. Do not stick to the minimum requirement in the syllabus! Actively follow up these cases and imagine how you would manage these patients if you were the doctor-in-charge.

Get the Oxford Handbook of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, read it cover-to-cover and use it to guide your ‘management’. How would you adjust the dose for renal imparment? What alternative would you use if there was penicillin allergy?

UK trainees often refer to Kucer’s The Use of Antibiotics when finding out details about antibiotics so you should read it up for at least the common antibiotics that are commonly used (in Singapore and the UK).

Read through the editorials and guidelines in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy going back at least 2 years (esp guidelines and new antibiotics). Check out the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy website.

Two books I find useful for selective reading are Fungal Infection: Diagnosis and Management by Richardson and Warnock. Lecture Notes on Tropical Medicine by Beeching and Gill

I have not got a copy of the Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection Handbook yet but it looks like it could be handy (Update Jan 2020: I have a copy now and it is useful for RCPath trainees).

You should also construct scenarios for infection control and outbreak management to supplement your actual experience. A lot of exposure management (e.g. VZV, measles, hepatitis B) can be found in the Green Book.

Go through the IPC in 5 videos. This is part of the trainee education program. Every UK trainee knows this material. So you should too.

Read through the editorials and guidelines in the Journal of Hospital Infection going back at least 2 years. Check out the Hospital Infection Society website.

You should subscribe (or have access ) to the UKNEQAS Microbiology Interpretive Comments.

You will also need to pretend that you are a Consultant Microbiologist practicing in the UK. Unlike the US, there is a lot more central control in the UK so all UK consultants receive and are expected to comply with the same set of guidance documents.

I could create my own list of useful websites where such documents may be found but microregistrar has already done it for me. PHE, HTM (e.g. dealing with water  supply in hospitals)  are particularly relevant. I don’t know if questions ever came out from the DH Building Notes, but it may be useful to know what relevant documents are in there (like HBN 00-09).

Don’t forget to scour the RCPath website and even read the bulletin going back 2 years for any material that may be relevant (like audit reports, documents or discussion of current college issues).

And don’t forget the UK follows ISO15189 for lab accreditation so you probably should know a bit about UKAS (How would you perform measurement of uncertainty for a PCR test?).

In my opinion, the FRCPath is quite a straightforward exam, and paradoxically quite a difficult exam to pass at the same time. They are not likely to ask anything a District General Hospital Microbiologist will not encounter, so no exotic bugs here. If you are fully involved in daily lab activities you may even be better prepared to sit the exam purely on accumulated experience rather than mugging standard textbooks. But as you can see from this list-if you do not know what to spend your energy on, fail to ensure you accumulate appropriate experience, or if you do not read the right material you could end up with close to zero exam-specific knowledge.

(Update Jan 2020: Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Virology: A Q&A Approach for Specialist Medical Trainees is a new MCQ book which is useful for RCPath candidates. I am not that keen on the format of the MCQs (prefer Spec et al) but the selection of topics will give you some idea of the domain knowledge college examiners are looking for).

Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)

The RCPA seems to have changed to be more similar to the RCPath in the sense that they are now testing more practical consultant competence and less esoteric knowledge.

Therefore go through the same process as for the FRCPath.

Investigate the RCPA website for the training syllabus and other issues that Australian pathologists are currently grappling with.  For Part 2, relevant issues may not be obviously microbiological (like how do you handle bullying in the lab?). The RCPA actually put a lot of training material onsite including the National Microbiology Webinar series (need to be RCPA registered trainee for access). It goes without saying you should go through all of them.

Be aware they have their own Antibiotic Guidelines Book.

Other Australia specific websites (equivalent to those mentioned for RCPath) are

Australian Committee on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Department of Health

NATA

NHMRC

Australian Immunisation Handbook

Australian STI Guidelines

SA Health Antimicrobial Guidelines

ASHM testing portal

And like their marsupials, Australian microbiology has its own distinctive flavour. e.g. Legionella longbeachae, Cryptococcus gattii, Mycobacterium ulcerans, Hendra virus etc... So be familiar with what’s happening Down Under.

Hmmm...this turned out much longer than I expected. Hope it won’t scare off any prospective trainees...

P.S. There is also the SGH Department of Microbiology training Handbook.

[businessguysonline]

Australian Clinical Labs accused of 'sitting on' hack that saw patient data posted to the dark web

Cybersecurity experts are questioning why it took one of Australia's biggest pathology services five months to tell its patients that data had been stolen and posted to the dark web. Australian Clinical Labs (ACL) yesterday revealed it was hit by a cyber attack eight months ago, in February, and that since then it had found out the data of 223,000 people had been accessed and some of it posted to the dark web.

The company — which carries out COVID-19 testing among other services — went public to the ASX about the situation just one day after the full extent of the hacking crisis at Medibank was unearthed.

Read More: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-28/acl-patient-data-wait-time-dark-web/101587014

[jesse-pinkman123]

Biochemistry Analyzers Market To Reach US$ 5,429.5 Million By 2027 - Coherent Market Insights

Biochemistry analyzers are used research purposes and for diagnosis of various diseases. It is also used in analysis of many cellular processes and to determine the structure of a biomolecules. There are two types of biochemistry analyzers depending on modality: bench-top and floor-standing. It is used in clinical diagnostics, bioreactor byproduct detection, and drug development applications.

The global Biochemistry Analyzers Market is estimated to account for US$ 3,716.8 Mn in terms of value in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 5,429.5 Mn by the end of 2027.

Global Biochemistry Analyzers Market: Drivers

Increasing number of clinical trials is expected to propel growth of the global biochemistry analyzers market over the forecast period. For instance, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the number of clinical trials conducted in the U.S. increased from 30,978 in 2018 to 32,523 in 2019.

Global Biochemistry Analyzers Market: Opportunities

Increasing prevalence of pandemic diseases is expected to boost demand for biochemistry analyzers. For instance, in April 2020, the government of Haiti requested China medical inputs of US$ 18 million, which included 2.5 million gloves, 300,000 sterilized gowns, 10 biochemistry automatic analyzers, 100 ventilators and accessories, and 1,500 hospital beds, for the treatment of COVID-19.  

Global Biochemistry Analyzers Market: Restraints

Presence of several laws regulation diagnostic labs in developed economies is expected to limit growth of the market. In the U.S., there are following laws:

Laboratory Accreditation: Internal Quality Control (IQC)

The Internal Quality Control measurement is the final check of the implementation of all the analytical procedures as prescribed in the protocol as well as other quality assurance measurements

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Laboratory Accreditation: External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS)

External Quality Assessment for medical laboratories is also known by the name proficiency testing for clinical laboratories and clinical pathology. The use of External Quality Assessment is widely used outside the clinical laboratories for point-of-care testing

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Guidelines

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute creates voluntary standards and guidelines in respect to the clinical and laboratory testing used within the medical testing and healthcare communities. The standards are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Key Takeaways:

The global biochemistry analyzers market was valued at US$ 3,520.5 Mn in 2019 and is forecast to reach a value of US$ 5,429.5 Mn by 2027 at a CAGR of 5.6% between 2020 and 2027. Increasing number of drug development activities, and increasing prevalence of chronic disorders is expected to aid in growth of the market.

Fully automated biochemistry analyzers held dominant position in the global biochemistry analyzers market in 2019, accounting for 85.6% share in terms of value, followed by Semi automated biochemistry analyzers, respectively. Fully automated biochemistry analyzers do not require constant manual attention, and they can perform tasks automatically.  

Clinical diagnostics segment held dominant position in the global biochemistry analyzers market in 2019, accounting for 82.8% share in terms of value, followed by drug development applications and others, respectively. Increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases, and other chronic diseases is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period.

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Market Trends

Major players in the market are focused on launching products for mid-volume laboratories. For instance, in October 2019, Beckman Coulter launched its new DxH 690T hematology analyzer for mid-volume laboratories.

Major players in the market are also focused on adopting collaboration and partnership strategies to enhance their market share. For instance, in October 2019, Abbott Laboratories partnered with Australian Red Cross Blood Service for its blood and plasma screening technology, Alinity s System.

Global Biochemistry Analyzers Market: Competitive Landscape  

Major players operating in the global biochemistry analyzers market include, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Siemens AG, Beckman Coulter Inc., Abbott Diagnostics Inc., Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Hologic, Inc., Randox Laboratories Ltd., Awareness Technology, Inc., Transasia Biomedicals Ltd., and Nova Biomedical Corp.

Global Biochemistry Analyzers Market: Key Developments  

November 2019: Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. demonstrated its product portfolio at MEDICA 2019

September 2019: Randox Laboratories launched a new online store with exclusive offers and discounts

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[australianotschools]

Explore University of Queensland’s impressive rehabilitation sciences facilities

Starting with the establishment of its physiotherapy program in 1938, the University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is a leading Australian institution for teaching and research in audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech pathology. It has a strong focus on scientific endeavors and a long history of high-quality outcomes.

Strength and Conditioning Laboratory As part of the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, the Strength and Conditioning lab is used by students across all exercise-based programs. Here, students have access to a variety of training and rehabilitation equipment, like squat racks, pull-up bars, plyometric boxes, powerlifting platforms, cable and pin-lifted weight machines, to work with various clients.

Clinical exercise physiology students participate in specialized exercise clinics for clients with medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, depression, cardiovascular diseases, while exercise and sport sciences students work healthy populations and athletes to help them meet their specific fitness goals.

Simulation House The Simulation House is used by occupational therapy and physiotherapy students as a space to practice working with patients with ongoing health conditions or those adapting to life at-home or during rehabilitation.

It is designed to replicate the home environment and provide the opportunity to simulate a range of activities and difficulties that clients would face at home. These include such tasks as making the bed or a cup of tea, loading or unloading a dishwasher, or getting in and out of the shower.

No detail is too small, right down to the inclusion of various drawer and cupboard handles, as students need to understand the importance of a patient’s physical environment on their success in navigating daily activities.

Telerehabilitation Clinic Just above the Simulation House is UQ’s Telerehabilitation Clinic. The first of its kind in Australia, this facility was established in 2015 with a donation from the Bowness Family Foundation. It seeks to provide superior care by removing barriers for clients with challenges affecting communication, movement, and participation.

This facility allows students in the various rehabilitative science programs to deliver services to patients in their own homes and communities using technology. Under the supervision of educators who are experts in the field, students interact with and treat real-life patients.

In the clinic, students are exposed to a range of emerging digital health technologies, and gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to practice in their field upon graduation. Research demonstrates that the outcomes clients achieve through these telerehabilitation sessions are just as good, if not better, than seeing a therapist in a more traditional clinic.

Want to explore these facilities further? Take a virtual tour!

[physiotherapyschoolinaustralia]

Explore University of Queensland’s impressive rehabilitation sciences facilities

Starting with the establishment of its physiotherapy program in 1938, the University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is a leading Australian institution for teaching and research in audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech pathology. It has a strong focus on scientific endeavors and a long history of high-quality outcomes.

Strength and Conditioning Laboratory As part of the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, the Strength and Conditioning lab is used by students across all exercise-based programs. Here, students have access to a variety of training and rehabilitation equipment, like squat racks, pull-up bars, plyometric boxes, powerlifting platforms, cable and pin-lifted weight machines, to work with various clients.

Clinical exercise physiology students participate in specialized exercise clinics for clients with medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, depression, cardiovascular diseases, while exercise and sport sciences students work healthy populations and athletes to help them meet their specific fitness goals.

Simulation House The Simulation House is used by occupational therapy and physiotherapy students as a space to practice working with patients with ongoing health conditions or those adapting to life at-home or during rehabilitation.

It is designed to replicate the home environment and provide the opportunity to simulate a range of activities and difficulties that clients would face at home. These include such tasks as making the bed or a cup of tea, loading or unloading a dishwasher, or getting in and out of the shower.

No detail is too small, right down to the inclusion of various drawer and cupboard handles, as students need to understand the importance of a patient’s physical environment on their success in navigating daily activities.

Telerehabilitation Clinic Just above the Simulation House is UQ’s Telerehabilitation Clinic. The first of its kind in Australia, this facility was established in 2015 with a donation from the Bowness Family Foundation. It seeks to provide superior care by removing barriers for clients with challenges affecting communication, movement, and participation.

This facility allows students in the various rehabilitative science programs to deliver services to patients in their own homes and communities using technology. Under the supervision of educators who are experts in the field, students interact with and treat real-life patients.

In the clinic, students are exposed to a range of emerging digital health technologies, and gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to practice in their field upon graduation. Research demonstrates that the outcomes clients achieve through these telerehabilitation sessions are just as good, if not better, than seeing a therapist in a more traditional clinic.

Want to explore these facilities further? Take a virtual tour!