Clinical and lab professionals share best practices, assay evaluations
If gastrointestinal pathogen testing is part of your job, don’t miss this informative webinar from two experts in the field. “Fecal Matters: Clinician and Laboratorian Perspective on Impact of Molecular GI Pathogen Testing” features speakers from clinical labs in Utah and North Carolina who offer case studies and helpful tips based on their experience.
As clinical lab professionals are aware, diarrheal diseases are challenging to diagnose and lead to millions of deaths around the world each year. In the U.S. alone, infectious diarrhea and foodborne illnesses are responsible for $1.8 billion in healthcare costs each year.1 It is essential for clinical labs to have the right tools and assays to deal with so many critical cases.
In the webinar, Dr. Bert Lopansri and Dr. Kevin McNabb share patient stories, technology evaluations, and GI testing best practices. Dr. Lopansri serves as Medical Director of the Intermountain Central Laboratory, which supports 16 hospitals with microbiology testing. His presentation includes four patient vignettes in addition to useful data trends in GI testing and guidance on when and how to conduct such testing.
In a separate presentation, Dr. McNabb, Director of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Testing at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, talked about his facility’s needs and its recent evaluation of the VERIGENE® Enteric Pathogens (EP) Test. His lab serves a 700-bed community hospital as well as other healthcare centers, and the team aimed to implement molecular GI testing to shorten its turnaround time compared to culture-based testing. Managing traditional stool cultures is time- and resource-intensive, requiring a dedicated and highly skilled person. Dr. McNabb described an evaluation of the VERIGENE EP Test, which detects common bacteria, toxins, and viruses and was more affordable than alternative molecular assays. The test allowed his team to reduce turnaround time from three days to just over four hours, and costs were even lower than expected. By reducing the need for hands-on time, the assay also freed up lab personnel to run other assays or even bring new testing in-house. Dr. McNabb’s presentation concluded with some case studies to illustrate the lab’s process and assay utility for patients.
We hope you enjoy the webinar!
- Lucado J, Mohamoud S, Zhao M, Elixhauser A. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD (Internet). Infectious Enteritis and Foodborne Illness in the United States, 2010: HCUP Statistical Brief #150. 2013. Cited 2017 August. Available from: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb150.pdf.