Post Vasectomy Semen Analysis
September 09, 2024
Effective Monday 9th of September, we will be working in accordance with the 2016 British Andrology Society laboratory guidelines for post-vasectomy semen analysis. 2016 PVSA Guidelines This will see a change to only performing a direct microscopy and proceed with a sperm count when only non-motile sperm are seen. There will be no centrifuged spun deposit examination. As with our current seminal…
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STI Screening e-order tab
August 06, 2024
Over recent months we have seen increasing instances of STI associated e-ordering leading to incorrect specimen collected, incorrect testing, and the need for specimen recollects. Investigation has shown the underlying causes to be multifactorial but one of the primary causes has been the inability to request chlamydia/gonorrhoea/trichomonas testing from multiple body sites at the same time. After…
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Respiratory Virus Community Testing
July 10, 2024
With the winter season upon us and the associated increase in respiratory virus circulation we would like to provide updated guidance on diagnostic testing. This is tempered by the fact that funding for this type of testing is limited and must be targeted at the most sick and vulnerable patient populations primarily those requiring hospitalisation. What this means in the community is that testing…
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Community Blood Culture bottle supply issue
June 24, 2024
Please be aware that due to manufacturing problems internationally, there is currently an issue with the supply of blood culture bottles. This is completely outside our control, but it may mean that we will receive marginally less than our normal allocation of bottles for distribution for at least the next three months. Consequently, it is important that good diagnostic stewardship is practiced…
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Optimal Use of the Laboratory for the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection
June 04, 2024
The microbiology laboratory at Pathlab receives on average 400 urine samples per day. This number has been steadily increasing over the past couple of years. In addition, the number of urine samples with no or insufficient clinical details has also increased. Please note the following with respect to optimal use of the microbiology laboratory for the diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI…
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