NEWSPAPER

“Comparison is the key for motivation, and the basis to improve and draw right decisions; Read more about your laboratory comparison story here……”

What does an inter-lab study mean?

Quality in process and reporting is the ultimate goal for every diagnostic brand as it is an accreditation need as well as the map to chart medical recommendations. While certifications like ISO, NABL, and CAP ensure quality control processes and outcomes are closely monitored through various means, the vastness of pathology or clinical testing segment leads to the addition of many tests and technologies not covered under the standard proficiency testing (PT) norms.

Proficiency testing is crucial to validate;

• Laboratory analysis and measurement process
• Adequate training of the personnel
• Extent of uncertainty

Technically all PT is inter-lab testing organized and managed by an independent third party while a pure inter-lab comparison does not have a coordinating agency. Though the objectives are similar the way their work is slightly different.

An inter-laboratory study does not have a reference laboratory or a central coordinating agency and the participating laboratories compare and evaluate test results only with and between other participating members. It basically involves organizing and evaluating the performance of tests (same or similar) by a minimum of two or more labs under predetermined conditions.

Why inter-lab testing?

• To establish a degree of equivalence between laboratories
• To improvise or standardize process and methods of testing
• A big indicator of competency
• To assign certified values to reference materials; ascertain uncertainty
• To identify problematic areas and shortcomings as a means to improvise on

Inter lab testing’s crucial to ascertain the ability of laboratories to deliver accurate testing reports. It aids in drawing universal standards in operation and testing. It demonstrates technical confidence to accrediting bodies as well as to the public and stakeholders.

“If confidence could be validated, inter-lab comparisons offer the stage for labs to prove the robustness of their operations”

Patient Safety In Healthcare? Don’t we tend to ignore it many times? Ignorance in patient safety can have dire consequences!! Read on…

Patient Safety-Making Healthcare Safer

Hospital is a place where sick people come in the hope of getting proper care and treatment. But, sometimes healthcare setups can in turn pose a threat when certain precautions are not taken. To create awareness of this, every year 9th of December is dedicated to ‘ World patient safety Day’.

What is Patient Safety?

Patient safety is the absence of preventable harm to the patient during any health care process. Also, it emphasizes on reduction of unnecessary risks associated with health care to minimal levels.

Why is it a Concern?

Is patient safety a matter of huge concern? Many of us might have this question. The answer is YES! The stats speak out loud and clear:

• Around 1 in 10 patients are harmed while receiving health care.
• Errors in medication cost an estimated 42 00 crore annually
• Approximately 4 .3 crore incidences related to patient safety occurs every year

What are the Probable Patient Safety Issues?

• Diagnostic errors ( wrong or delayed diagnosis)
• Infections obtained during the health care
• Medication errors
• Re- admissions (patient returns to the hospital in less than 30 days of discharge)
• Surgery at the wrong site
• Lack of communication (improper communication between patient and doctor)

Safety is a choice you make!

Here are a few tips for the patients to ensure their safety.

• Assist the hospital staff to ensure that your personal data (patient history) is accurate.
• Ask questions or doubts that you have about the diagnosis.
• Seek a second opinion on a medical condition in case of any doubt.
• Ask the doctor about the pros and cons of any medical procedure that is suggested.

Universal Precautions

Here are a few things that need to be taken care of to ensure the safety of the patient as well others surrounding the patient.

• Hand Hygiene– Wash and sanitize hands frequently while handling a patient
• Gloves– Wearing gloves while coming in contact with a patient
• Facial protection– Use of surgical mask or face shield while interacting with a patient
• Needles– Proper Disposal of used needles and sharps
• Patient care equipment– Disinfection of reusable equipment before every use
• Disposal of wastes– Proper disposal of biomedical wastes
• Etiquettes– cover nose/ mouth while sneezing or coughing Safety comes first! And thus, should be placed before anything else while handling any patient!

Why Your Inability To Lose Weight Is Not Just A Willpower Thing!

When gym, diet, and positive thoughts don’t help, monitoring your health might… Know more… Find out how?

Why your inability to lose weight is not just a willpower thing! ‘Losing weight is not just about diet, exercise or willpower’

The urge for exotic dishes and the advancement in technology is a bane of the weight loss regime. Spending hours at the gym and following a stringent diet doesn’t always fulfill the purpose. The fats get stored in the muscle tissues and make one obese. It is estimated that 25% of males and 21% of women will be obese by 2025. The worry here is that obesity is bait for various other diseases and disorders.

Why is this happening?

Why is one unable to lose weight in spite of a strict weight loss regime? Although the reasons can be many, one important underlying cause could be an underactive thyroid gland!

The butterfly-shaped gland

The thyroid gland is a small yet important gland present in our necks. They release thyroid hormones (chemical messenger) which have an important role in various metabolic processes (process required to maintain life).

Underactive thyroid gland!

Wondering what is the underactive active thyroid gland and what consequence it can have?
It’s known as hypothyroidism! A condition where enough hormones are not produced by the gland.

Risk Factors

• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (a disease where self cells are attacked by immune system)
• Thyroidectomy (removal of a part of thyroid gland)
• Radiation therapy (In case of thyroid cancer)
• Severe iodine deficiency
• Medication
• Central hypothyroidism (A disorder of pituitary gland)

How do I know it?

The body has various ways to alert us about a particular condition. Here are few symptoms of hypothyroidism.

• Weight gain
• Weakness
• Low pulse
• Reduced sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Problems with concentration
• Hair loss
• Low, hoarse voice
• Enlarged tongue
• Enlarged thyroid (goiter)
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Erectile dysfunction
• Depression

Feel empowered!

The thyroid hormones which the body lacks can easily be replaced by tablets. Right and timely diagnosis plays a key role in taking the necessary steps to bring the thyroid functions back to normal. When left untreated, an underactive thyroid may cause numerous problems. In the rarest of cases it can even lead to coma!

“ Don’t mess with the thyroid, it may mess with your body ”

This World Anti-obesity day let’s take an oath to fight obesity with lifestyle changes. Read on to know how……

Wage a war against Obesity

26th of November is marked as World Anti-Obesity Day. The theme for this year’s obesity day is “End Weight Stigma”. Don’t you think rather than focusing on obesity-related problems it is important to control the root causes for them? This is what makes World Anti-Obesity Day special.

What is Obesity?

Before knowing how to overcome obesity, we should know what exactly is obesity!

Obesity is nothing but the presence of excessive fat in the body to an extent that it poses a risk to our health!

It Defies Gender Equality!

Another interesting fact about obesity is that fat deposition patterns vary in men and women!

In females, there is more fat deposition in the lower part of the body whereas, in males,accumulation of excess fat is generally seen in the upper part of the body.

The 3 determining alphabets!

Curious to know what are these 3 alphabets and why is it important to us? It is BMI! Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilogram divided by height in square meters.

The culprits!

• Excessive eating Unhealthy diet (high sugar or fat content)
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Little or excess sleep
• Genetic factors
• Medical conditions (e.g Improper thyroid function)

How Do I lose weight?

Now, as you know the culprits, don’t you think it is something we can control? Yes, absolutely! Let’s have a look at the ways to prevent obesity.

• Losing 10% of your body weight over a period of 6 months, is the ideal way to do it.
• Limiting the intake of calories to 1600 kcal/day for men and 1200 kcal/day for women can aid in weight reduction.
• Now comes the most important element; physical exercise! Make sure that you do some sort of exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day.

The stats!

Now, as you know the culprits, don’t you think it is something we can control? Yes, absolutely! Let’s have a look at the ways to prevent obesity.

• 13 % of adults aged 18 years and above are o bese, which makes it a whooping 65 crore obese people!
• 4 .1 crore people under the age of 5 are obese.
• 34 crore individuals between the age of 5-19 are obese.

“ Change your habits and the weight will be taken care of by itself ”.

How Often Should You Get Blood Work Done?

Blood tests are done to closely examine the health status. Be it infections, diseases, disorders, imbalances in vitamins and minerals, or fluctuation in the levels of hormones, proteins, sugars, lipids, and enzymes present in the body, a blood test can tell them all. If not detected, any of these may lead to several other severe health problems.

Blood tests whether prescribed or not plays an efficient role in drawing our attention to asymptomatic and hidden problems. Being the most fundamental and accessible examination, it may warn us of the risks of developing any disease; depicted from the simple blood test.

Regular check-up helps to diagnose certain abnormal values that may not cause symptoms now but, may become problematic in the near future. Problems such as low hemoglobin or high/low sodium or potassium levels, deficiencies, or toxicities can be assessed beforehand, giving time to take necessary corrective measures. A complete blood count (CBC) test is the most commonly recommended to check vital blood components like platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells.

Regular blood check-up is essential!

How Often Should You Get Blood Work Done? People having a family history of certain medical conditions like diabetes, heart diseases, blood disorders, abnormal levels of lipids, and thyroid disorders by undertaking blood tests can protect their health with preventive measures.

Individuals prescribed for blood checkups for monitoring of any disease or disorder should go for it timely and uptake retests at regular intervals.

Routine blood checks in diseased patients assist in precise analysis and monitoring of disease as well as allow to an estimate of the extent of damage caused by it.

In normal people, tests in a specified duration help to ensure that the level of vitamins, minerals, and other body parameters are balanced.

If a disease is detected during diagnosis, with the blood test it can be monitored and its progression to a fatal stage can be averted.

Take away

Timely diagnoses can make a big difference especially when we talk about our health. The answer to how many times one should go for a blood check-up has no one apt answer. It depends on several factors like age, diseased condition, health state, doctor’s recommendations, and many more.

However, it’s always better to have regular consultations and intermittent tests done to have a quite confident answer. Go for it, Well-timed check-up will benefit you, A mismanaged one, may not keep maladies at bay…

Lab Quality Control is a serious business! The promise of safety and accuracy, Quality is more than a practice that can be brought with money!

How does a lab run Quality Control?

Quality is the desire of everyone who pays. This is considered value for money and also stems from existing policies and practices.

The quality control of processes and services is a serious business and admission patients and management is associated with diagnosis and treatment, which is a necessity and is an excellent addition. The procedure in the diagnostic lab has each step of approximate collection, testing the correct report for the correct patient/client and further ensuring. The following ethics and international quality practices are conscientious roads without documentary evidence, but costs require NULL and VOIDs. A quality management system (QMS) is a holy cemetery for laboratories to document and promise and demonstrate all proven quality practices for use. The proof is a quality certificate such as NABL and CAP earned by the laboratory.

Lab Quality Control (QC) facts:

• Procedures and results aid in the validation of instrument performance as well as add reliability to patient results
• Involves the use of certified reference material and further statistical process controls
• The material used is similar to biological fluids tested and is made from blood, serum, urine, or spinal fluid
• It is pre-packaged and available in a liquid or lyophilized state having a known concentration of analytes
• These are available in different concentration ranges to include both clinically normal and abnormal ranges for every analyte tested The QC process
• The QC materials are to be processed in the same way as patient samples
• The good quality practice involves testing both normal and abnormal levels of QC material each day
• Frequency of testing QC material also depends on workload for the test and hence is tested in three stages – Pre, mid, and post QC stages
• Results from all the QC runs are evaluated to validate reporting vs. pre-defined ranges

The quality control process is not limited to running quality control materials on machines and ensuring regulatory compliance, but also uses statistics to evaluate minor or major emissions. Clinical outcomes inpatient reports can be at either end of the reporting range, so statistical bases such as mean and standard deviation applied to a consolidated quality control database help the laboratory track any irregularities.

“A practice that arises out of due diligence; QC processes lie in a roadmap which a laboratory can never decline to hold”

Good sleep benefits Did you know that lack of sleep can lead to cardiovascular disease and other related conditions? Read on to find out how this mechanism works…

Good Sleep Benefits

After a long and tiring day, everyone deserves a good night’s sleep, and more so, to recover from the excruciating strain they face at work. Insufficient sleep has ruthless consequences that alter the functioning of our bodies.
A third of our lives are spent sleeping, not because humans have enjoyed and found solace in sleep. Health care is more important than sleep time, so we cannot question this decision.

How much sleep is ideal?

Adults in the 18-64 age group should sleep at least 69 hours a night, and those over 65 should sleep 78 hours a day. It is now at individual discretion, depending on the physical activity during the day and the quality of the food eaten. If your job requires a lot of physical activity, care must be taken to ensure that your body gets adequate rest. Also, diets that include raw fruits and vegetables always get less sleep compared to cooked foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugars.

Dizzy and Diseased!

A restful sleep recharges our body and mind, sophisticating our actions. Changing this mode causes unpleasant disturbances. Our brain’s signaling system is disrupted and we experience fatigue, dizziness, physical tension, lethargy, and many other symptoms. It has a major impact on memory and thinking, and if this condition lasts for several days, it can lead to psychotic disorders and depression.

Hearts Ability is Challenged!

Lack of sleep has severe effects incapacitating the heart’s functional abilities. Our Blood Pressure (BP) tends to increase, which causes increased oxygen consumption in the body and carbon dioxide production rises. Hypertension is prevalent because of this change in mechanism and further invites various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Chest pain, heart attack, and even a stroke can get triggered in such cases. Further, changes in our metabolism also occur that can cause arthritis, obesity, and diabetes. All these disorders in turn again make us prone to developing heart diseases.

Screening can warn!

A regular health checkup may predict as well as diagnose the diseases and disorders that could develop because of any changed pattern of sleep.

Work and sleep are parallelly important and cannot be ignored to suit one needs. Therefore, the main message of the article draws attention to the diseases that can occur to us if we alter the orderly biological cycle of sleep.