RADIOMETER’s range of point-of-care (POC) analysers – the ABL800 FLEX, the ABL90 FLEX and the AQT90 FLEX – have helped pathology services at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust to meet diagnostic testing demands in remote locations.
Louise Silver, nurse practitioner and manager of the urgent care centre (UCC) at the West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance, explained: “The UCC provides ‘middle ground’ emergency care for patients with minor injuries and acute illnesses, with more serious cases being referred to the main Trust site at Treliske Hospital in Truro. Geographically, Penzance is quite isolated – it is 28 miles from Treliske – and it is important to be able to offer an intermediate triage service. POC testing gives us fast turnaround times, helping to speed up patient care without having to wait for results to arrive from the pathology laboratory in Truro.” Helen Hobba, senior biomedical scientist and lead in point of care for biochemistry at Treliske Hospital, continued: “As well as the POC analysers, we have Radiometer’s AQURE software. This provides the laboratory with a really useful remote link to the instruments, allowing us to monitor the analysers and, if necessary, troubleshoot from a distance, which saves a great deal of time. We can see the status of the instrument and offer advice to users over the phone, which is particularly useful when assistance is needed at Penzance, saving both time and money.”
