Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, June 13
Shorter wait for H1N1 test results at TTSHSINGAPORE: Those who are sent for H1N1 testing at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) now have a shorter wait for their test results, thanks to laboratory staff who are now working in several shifts round the clock and some newly—acquired equipment.
Waiting for H1N1 test results at TTSH used to take up to 10 hours. This was because once a nose and throat swab sample was tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, samples were sent to the National Public Health Laboratory for verification. This measure has since been eliminated, as the hospital's results proved it was an unnecessary step.
In addition, because of the sensitive nature of the test for H1N1 flu virus, great care also has to be taken in its execution.
The hospital says samples have to be labelled, packed and transported to the laboratory. Once the samples arrive, they have to be unpacked and checked carefully for correct labelling, and to make sure that the samples are acceptable, before they are keyed into the computer system.
Samples first have to be neutralised to make them safe for the staff to handle, before being manually taken out one by one, and mixed with other reagents. Only then is the batch subjected to the actual test itself.
According to TTSH, it takes about three to four hours to process one sample. But because of the sheer volume of samples tested and the processing work that goes into each test, it usually takes up to five to six hours to obtain results.
To facilitate testing efficiency, TTSH has acquired new equipment capable of conducting a larger volume of tests than could be done manually.
TTSH will also train more staff to conduct the tests, so that there will be enough people to work through the night.
While this does not shorten actual testing time, it means that TTSH is able to conduct a larger volume of tests at one time, 24 hours a day, and thus minimising patients' waiting time.
Senior consultant at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, TTSH, Timothy Barkham, said: "One of the biggest issues has been that we haven't had enough staff to run 24 hours a day. But we're changing that. And that will mean people who previously had to wait for their samples to be run the next morning, are going to have them being run throughout the night."
Dr Barkham added that each test requires careful and particular work. Any mistake can ruin the whole run and the several—hour—long process will have to be repeated.
The molecular tests used at TTSH detect all Influenza A and B flu viruses. The tests were developed in collaboration with researchers such as Li Jingguang who works at TTSH's laboratory under a special Ministry of Health grant to improve Singapore's capability in dealing with respiratory disease outbreaks. TTSH also has been collaborating with Masafumi Inoue from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology since the SARS outbreak in 2003.
— CNA/yt
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.
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