The new system handles and analyses large volumes of specimens and can accommodate up to 96,000 tests a day. The computerised control system allows more functionality such as quality control monitoring, the auto verification of results and the ability to collect data for further improvements.
“The new automated system will improve efficiencies, reduce the turnaround times for tests to be returned and more importantly ensure that high quality patient safety is maintained thanks to the automation process,” said Dr al-Kuwari.
“This is another example that shows HMC’s commitment to improving the care patients receive by developing excellence in healthcare in Qatar through high quality and an efficiency of service, something that was recently recognised when HMC became the first healthcare system across the globe to have all of its hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) under the Academic Medical Centre programme,” she added.
The new system, which has now been in place since September 2015 also allows add-on orders to be completed electronically without human intervention and includes a wide storage compartment with a capacity of 15,000 tubes for storing varied specimens. This extra capacity is proving very useful when coping with the high number of blood test requests received from all over the country.
“As the population grows we are receiving more and more requests for tests and this type of analyser allows us to perform up to 110 different tests. The new system ensures we provide a very efficient service for our patients and our external partners such as the Army clinic, Police clinic, Medical Commission, Qatar Petroleum, Aspetar Hospital, Primary Health Care Centre and private hospitals. This also means we can reduce the time it takes for tests to be competed from 24 hours to an average of three hours for routine orders” said Dr Ajayab al-Nabet, chairperson, Department of Laboratory, Medicine and Pathology at Hamad general Hospital.
“We are very proud to be the first laboratory in Qatar to use such a highly efficient automated system,” she added.