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Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the improvements in laboratory testing procedures and the quality and safety management for large‐scale population screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Methods Because of epidemic prevention and control needs in Hebei Province, on January 7, 2021, the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province sent a medical team to Hebei Province, to carry out SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid testing. Screening for the SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid test was performed using reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Practical tests and repeated process optimization were adopted to explore the optimal solution for improving laboratory testing procedures and the quality of and safety management for large‐scale population screening for SARS‐CoV‐2. Results The Zhejiang medical team completed 250,000 pooled SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid samples in 24 days in Shijiazhuang, with a peak daily testing capacity of 40,246 samples testing. There were no false‐negative or false‐positive results, and no laboratory personnel was infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. Significant achievements have been made in SARS‐CoV‐2 prevention and control. Conclusions This report summarizes the effort of the medical team regarding their management of the quality and safety of laboratory tests and proposes corresponding empirical recommendations to provide a reference for future large‐scale population screening SARS‐CoV‐2., The Health Commission of Zhejiang Province of china sent a medical team to Hebei Province, to carry out SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid testing. The Zhejiang medical team completed 250,000 pooled more than two million peoples' SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acid samples in 24 days in Shijiazhuang, with a peak daily testing volume of 40,246 pooled samples using reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). There were no false‐negative or false‐positive results, and no laboratory personnel was infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. Layout recommendations for temporary laboratories for large‐scale nucleic acid screening operation process and experience sharing of each link of nucleic acid detection.

Improving the quality of laboratory services must always be improved in improving the quality of the tri dharma of higher education. Good laboratory management is one of the supporting factors, for that reason, the Department of Mining Engineering manages the laboratory. Laboratory management, in this case, is the laboratory equipment inventory system and laboratory control system. This system will be used to carry out monitoring data on the use of website-based laboratory equipment where the use of laboratory equipment must be carried out systematically. The first step is to create a web system for administration and inventory in the laboratory. In this study, in conducting website-based lab management, it is also necessary to map the problems faced by students in relation to services and supporting infrastructure in the laboratory.

Background: Since the first report of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), widely known as COVID-19, in late December 2019, it has spread worldwide. The eventual return of new normal has started to happen in most countries where the COVID-19 curve has flattened, and Assisted reproduction technology (ART) services are eventually resuming. Well-organized ART (embryology/andrology) laboratories safeguard the wellbeing of all staff, patients, and their gametes/embryos. Main body: A well-organized pandemic management plan must be implemented in anticipation of possible subsequent COVID-19 waves. Apart from local and national guidelines, some mandatory changes need to be taken into considerations that will allow us to overcome the fear of this deadly pandemic, work smoothly and stop any possible transmission without comprising the quality control for successful treatment. These mandatory changes include conserving different supplies, reducing manpower needs, and various protective measures for non-clinical and clinical staff, patients, and gametes/embryos. Conclusion: The current pandemic of COVID-19 suggests a well-organized action-oriented emergency plan to assure the wellbeing of all stakeholders.

Working with peers is an integral part of a student’s educational experience in most disciplines from preschool to tertiary education. For secondary and undergraduate chemistry education, it is inevitable that some laboratory sessions require students to work in groups for logistic and safety reasons. In this technology report, we demonstrate use cases of Google Forms and Google Sheets to assign (A) students into groups, collect (C), analyze (A), and distribute (D) their feedback in group work as well as in self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed individual work. Our ACAD-Feedback framework is designed to streamline the manual delivery of the four processes into one online framework. This framework can be used in other settings with minimal modifications.

Laboratorium kampus khususnya kampus universitas Andalas fakultas teknologi pertanian merupakan sarana penunjang yang sangat penting bagi keberlangsungan pendidikan. Di laboratorium ini mahasiswa melakukan pembelajaran secara praktik yang secara signifikan membuat mahasiswa menjadi lebih memahami materi. Aktifitas manajemen laboratorium kampus Andalas fakultas teknologi pertanian adalah segala bentuk pencatatan barang maupun aktifitas yang terjadi di laboratorium. Mengingat pentingnya fungsi laboratorium, maka manajemen laboratorium yang baik merupakan kebutuhan yang mutlak. Hal ini memungkinkan kampus untuk dapat lebih mudah mendapatkan data real dari pemakaian laboratorium oleh mahasiswa dan aktifitas di laboratorium. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menghasilkan sebuah sistem informasi manajemen peminjaman laboratorium berbasis web dan android, karena dibandingkan dengan basis kertas, aktifitas manajemen dan peminjaman laboratorium menggunakan sistem informasi berbasis web dan android dinilai lebih efisien untuk diterapkan, karena dengan web dan android segala bentuk pencatatan bisa dengan mudah dilakukan dan apabila data diperlukan, semua pihak yang memiliki otorisasi bisa dengan mudah mendapatkan data tersebut. Metode yang digunakan dalam perancangan sistem informasi laboratorium kampus ini menggunakan metode waterfall dimana metode ini menggunakan pendekatan alur hidup perangkat lunak yang berurutan dimulai dari tahapan analisa, desain, implementasi, pengetesan dan perawatan. Berdasarkan penelitian ini, dihasilkan kesimpulan bahwa dengan adanya sistem informasi manajemen berbasis web dan android diharapkan bisa menjadikan aktifitas manajemen peminjaman laboratorium di kampus Andalas fakultas teknologi pertanian menjadi lebih baik.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the delivery of secondary care services. Self-collection of capillary blood at home can facilitate the monitoring of patients with chronic disease to support virtual clinics while mitigating the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission. Objective To investigate the comparability of whole blood capillary and plasma venous samples for 15 routinely used biochemical analytes and to develop and pilot a user-friendly home-collection kit to support virtual outpatient clinical services. Methods To investigate the comparability of whole blood capillary and plasma venous samples for 15 routinely requested biochemical analytes, simultaneous samples of venous and capillary blood were collected in EDTA and lithium-heparin plasma separation tubes that were of 4–6 mL and 400–600 µL draw volume, respectively. Venous samples were analysed within 4 h of collection while capillary samples were kept at ambient temperature for three days until centrifugation and analysis. Analyte results that were comparable between the matrices were then piloted in a feasibility study in three outpatient clinical services. Results HbA1c, lipid profile and liver function tests were considered comparable and piloted in the patient feasibility study. The home-collect kit demonstrated good patient usability. Conclusion Home collection of capillary blood could be a clinically-useful tool to deliver virtual care to patients with chronic disease.

The empirical study carried out was based on a questionnaire administered to the research laboratories managers of the sciences and techniques faculties across Morocco. This questionnaire is a tool for measuring the level of implementation of good quality management practices in research. It was developed on the basis of standards linked directly or indirectly to quality management in research. Further to the results of this study, an explanatory model was established, based on a multiple linear regression, to identify the existence of an influence of good practices of quality management in research on the performance of Moroccan research laboratories. This model demonstrated that this performance is determined by 4 variables which are: “laboratory management”, “material resources”, good practices linked to “carrying out scientific research activities” and to the “validation and evaluation of the research results”. The major element of influence is undoubtedly the first two variables. This involves that the variation in the overall “laboratory performance” is very sensitive compared to any variation in these two variables. That said, to improve the “laboratory performance”, staff is required to invest in setting up good-quality management practices which are linked to these two variables.

The Journal of Chemical Education’s Special Issue on Chemical Safety Education: Methods, Culture, and Green Chemistry is a collection of 38 peer-reviewed papers on the topic of chemical safety educ...

Manajemen bengkel/laboratorium di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan secara fungsinya belum dimanfaatkan secara maksimal, hanya terpaku sebatas penggunaan tempat praktikum siswa dan belum banyak dimanfaatkan oleh para pengelola dalam meningkatkan kulitas bengkel/laboratorium di sekolah. Manajemen fasilitas bengkel/laboratorium sangat penting dalam peningkatan kulitas guru dan siswa dalam memenuhi mutu pembelajaran dan hasil dari kulitas pembelajaran guna meningkatkan kualitas lulusan. Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan pada dasarnya tidak hanya diperuntukkan untuk memahami penguasaan teori saja, namun harus juga memiliki kompetensi teori dan praktik dalam memenuhi kriteria unjuk kerja. Dengan demikian guru memiliki peranan sangat penting dalam penguasaan dan pengeloaan bengkel. Pelatihan Manajemen Bengkel/Laboratorium Bagi Guru Mata Pelajaran Praktik di SMK Wilayah Kabupaten Pandeglang dilakukan untuk meningkatkan manajemen guru dalam melakukan pengelolaan fasilitas bengkel/laboratorium di SMK.

University laboratory is an important place for experimental teaching, scientific research and social service, as well as an important platform for cultivating students’ practical ability and innovation ability. This paper takes the Yang-tze university which is a comprehensive local university as an example, introduces the present situation and problems of laboratory construction and practical teaching of medical disciplines. And it combines with the specific requirements of speeding up the construction of “double first-class” undergraduate education in our university, discussing the health medical laboratory construction under China’s strategic ideas and specific measures, from strengthening the construction of laboratory information, improving the system of laboratory management, the reasonable allocation of resources, increasing the experimental technical team construction of several aspects.

The dataflow in any scientific research laboratory is continuous and considerable even in analytical niches such as heritage science laboratories. This article discusses advantages of using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for organising and systematising research in an interdisciplinary analytical laboratory. LIMS solutions are proven to be effective in managing laboratories, organising their daily management tasks, improving work conditions and increasing productivity, managing equipment and resources, and managing and safeguarding scientific data. LIMS software is commercially available since the 1990s with over a hundred software packages intended either for general or specific purposes. However, the ones currently available do not fulfil all the requirements for heritage science or are over-the-top, complex, one-fits-all standard solutions. The system here proposed was developed for a heritage science laboratory, considering its unique requirements, having as a case study the HERCULES Lab, from the University of Évora (Portugal). This article documents our approach based on the analysis of the unique requirements for the lab resulting in a proposal of a custom user-centred web-based system. For this, we discuss in detail the workflow, and the required system architecture. We conclude that although it is a small niche market for major manufacturers to dwell on, a custom LIMS is of the utmost importance for the current management of heritage science laboratories across the globe.

Imbi Jayapura in carrying out its duties and functions, supported by patient registrationmanagement, management of each poly, pharmacy management, laboratory management, andadministrative management. The recording process in all management is still manual, and patientregistration services can only be done using a prospective patient having to come directly to thePuskesmas, a manual registration process so that it takes a long time to provide health services at thePuskesmas. It is deemed necessary to have a system that can support all management activities. There isno accumulation of patients when registering, faster in service, and accurate in solving patients andreporting problems. This study encourages IMBI puskesmas to serve prospective patients who wish toregister online using the website, carry out medical record management at each clinic, pharmacy andlaboratory quickly and precisely, and carry out the direction of patient reports at Puskesmas Imbi speedilyand accurately. This research resulted in the Puskesmas Imbi Jayapura Management Information Systemused by Puskesmas officers to manage all Puskesmas activities.

Objectives The clinical laboratory community has faced unprecedented challenges in responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Long-held assumptions about laboratory management have been reconsidered in light of these new circumstances. Methods Experience during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic at a clinical reference laboratory was reviewed in the context of several commonly held management principles to assess their relevance to clinical laboratory operations during a crisis. Results Management and operational ideas regarding different modes of communication, physical proximity and interaction, operating under a fixed budget, and maintaining a breadth of laboratory service offerings have been challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of putting people first, maintaining collaboration, and providing effective leadership and communication throughout an organization have been highlighted. Conclusions The collaborative activities of highly interdependent teams and individuals have helped the clinical laboratory community respond to society’s needs in the COVID-19 crisis. Not all laboratory management principles apply equally well in the course of an international respiratory pandemic. When navigating crises, leaders need to distinguish situational management principles from those that are universal.

Objectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is widely spreading and represents a critical threat to global health. In the fight against this pandemic, provincial hospitals urgently need rapid diagnostic of COVID-19 infected patients to avoid collapsing of emergency units. However, the high demand of patients with severe acute respiratory symptoms limits the fast delivery of results by the gold standard method reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction real time (rRT-PCR) for the identification of COVID-19 positive pneumonia. The principal aim is to find other useful laboratory indicators to assist rRT-PCR tests and to help controlling of this outbreak. Methods Blood, coagulation and inflammatory parameters were collected from a total of 309 patients classified as negative (128) and positive (181) rRT-PCR test groups. Patients were classified as positive by molecular diagnostic test. Results Leukocyte count (WBC), neutrophils count, lymphocytes count and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were statistically different between both groups of patients. The use of LDH/WBC ratio increases the diagnostic performance with the best area under the curve (0.783), sensibility (82%) and the best percentage (80.5%) of correctly identified COVID-19 positive patients. Conclusions The combination of predictive LDH/WBC ratio with clinical illness features could help in medical management of patients and improve the technical resources of hospitals, especially in a critical scenario with a large shortage of medical equipment and lack of reagents for performing rRT-PCR.

Academic institutions are faced with the complex problem of accurately determining the hazards associated with a proposed or ongoing project. For many reasons, compressed gas safety can be a signif...

Chemical safety education is a critical aspect of an integrated culture of safety in academic research settings. Showcasing best practices and sharing practical solutions for recognizing hazards an...

Storage and inventory issues are not typically a part of chemistry coursework, yet they are something that a high school science teacher will have to handle immediately upon graduation. Using an au...

The laboratory safety team (LST) movement was triggered in 2012 by Dow Chemical’s exploration of ways to strengthen academic research safety culture from the bottom up. This necessitated a new form...

Comprehensive inventory management is central to the efficient operation of any facility that uses and stores chemicals. There are numerous software packages available that perform this function sa...

The execution order of the processes of the management system (MS) of the testing laboratory (TL), certified according to the requirements of the standard GOST ISO / IEC 17025-2019, is discussed. It was established that the process “8.9 Management Review” is the main process in managing activities in a testing laboratory. The interaction of this process with other MS TL processes is considered, in particular: “6.2 Personnel”, “6.4 Equipment”, “6.5 Metrological traceability”, “7.2 Selection, verification and validation of methods”, “7.6 Evaluation of measurement uncertainty”, “7.7 Ensuring the validity of results”, “7.10 Management of inappropriate work”, “8.5 Actions related to risks and opportunities”, “8.6 Improvement”, “8.7 Corrective actions”, “ 8.8. Internal Audits”, etc.

Further investigation is needed to determine the specific laboratory management needs of agricultural education teachers. The theoretical foundation which guided this study was Bandura's theory of self-efficacy (1997). To further align this theory with this study, researchers explored the beliefs and one's capabilities to organize and excute the course of action to manage an agricultural mechanics laboratory. The research objectives for this study were: Determine the self-perceived level(s) of importance and ability as related to agricultural mechanics laboratory management competencies and determine the professional development needs of Iowa school-based agricultural education teachers regarding agricultural mechanics laboratory management competencies. Results of the Mean Weighted Discrepancy Scores (MWDS) indicated teacher's greatest in-service needs revolved around hazardous laboratory conditions and materials. The competencies which ranked the highest included correcting hazardous laboratory conditions, safely disposing of hazardous materials, properly installing and maintaining safety devices and emergency equipment, safely handling hazardous materials, and safely storing hazardous materials. Agricultural education teachers need professional development in the realm of hazardous conditions within the confines of an agricultural mechanics laboratory and handling hazardous materials. Working with hazardous materials is a critical competency agricultural educators must have when managing any type of laboratory.

This study illustrates how the activities of the laboratory of management can contribute to generate interest and improve the process of student learning. The article analyzes the activities generated in the laboratory of management with the revised Bloom's taxonomy. Potential effects and benefits of the teaching and learning of these activities associated with the revised Bloom's taxonomy will be discussed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to report the whole process of learning during the classes of laboratory management (SIMULAB). The primary data were collected from companies that participated in the laboratory of management through the completion of forms of decision-making and results obtained in the SIMULAB. In addition to the collection of data, was conducted interviews with students of participating companies. The study showed that during the development of activities in the SIMULAB led the students to create innovative projects to compete among themselves as a result. Furthermore, it was observed that the students participated actively in the process of development of activities.

This PkM program aims to improve: (1) teacher skills in designing and developing KIT of Natural Sciences practicum tools, Practical tools, laboratory management SOP as well as integrated science materials with the potential of the surrounding environment. The method used in achieving these objectives is the implementation of inservice in the form of training and assistance. The training carried out is a training to develop the skills and creativity of science teachers in the production / design of an integrated natural science practicum device based on the environment and training to design learning using a scientific approach that utilizes the KIT of science that has been produced. Assistance is also carried out related to improving the ability of teachers to explore, elaborate and reflect on integrated science teaching materials. The output of this activity is in the form of KIT of integrated environment-based practicum tools equipped with SOP for the management of practicum with environmental conditions; Integrated practicum tools in integrated science learning (RPP, LKS, teacher's guide) to support scientific approach learning; Integrated science laboratory management SOP; Refresher teaching materials integrated science materials; Scientific article (national publication). The results of the activities that have been achieved include, increased understanding and skills of natural science teachers in the Jerowaru SMPN 1 Natural Science teacher group on integrated science material, increasing teachers' understanding of learning with an inquiry approach, increasing the skills of science teachers designing / making KIT Simple science made from raw materials from the surrounding environment to support science learning using the inquiry discovery approach (scientific approach), increasing the ability of science teachers to design learning tools with the inquiry inquiry approach (scientific approach), training the skills and abilities of science teachers in partner schools in implementing science learning with inquiry discovery (scientific approach) approach.

This paper proposes a new method to evaluate laboratory safety management based on machine learning that aims to address the shortcomings of traditional laboratory safety evaluation methods, including poor accuracy, large influence of human factors, and lack of a unified evaluation system. In this paper, the safety data of laboratories in Southwest University were collected using a safety checklist, and the weight of each factor affecting laboratory safety was analyzed using a Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The simulation results showed that the model gave a more accurate and reasonable safety risk level of the laboratory, verified the rationality and feasibility of the established method, and realized potential loopholes in the process of laboratory management and college students' operations. According to the evaluation results, the machine learning principle and the existing maintenance knowledge of the evaluation knowledge base are applied to provide effective measures and suggestions for users to complete the process of risk assessment. Through risk assessment, the professional skill and the incident control could be improved. The model was easy to operate and has a good application value for ensuring the personal and property safety of laboratory users.

INCUBATOR Art Lab is an art and science research laboratory at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. This image/text document explores the invisible integrated laboratory practices developed within INCUBATOR Art Lab that reimagining how scientific research is conducted within institutional settings towards more joyful and inclusive biotech futures. The piece describes new modes of engaging with institutional bureaucracy, designing infrastructure, and community-building efforts that are central to how INCUBATOR Art Lab functions as a feminist bioart laboratory.

ObjectiveTo describe the trends in the incidence rate of HIV VL rebound and assess the factors associated with the incidence rate of HIV VL rebound among the persons receiving ART in Malawi between 2011 and 2020.MethodsWe analyzed routinely collected patient-level HIV VL data extracted from the Malawi Laboratory Management Information System (LIMS). We fitted a multivariable Cox regression model of having HIV VL rebound (>1000 copies/mL) using a forward step-wise selection method, with age and sex entered as a priori variables. We presented both crude and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of HIV VL rebound for the various independent variables. Statistical significance was set at PResultsWe evaluated 230,465 adults and children receiving ART and having at least one viral load test between 2011 and 2020. The median time between ART initiation and having a VL sample was 55 months (interquartile range: 25-92). The aHR for having HIV VL rebound were: 0.79 for females (95%CI:0.77-0.80, PConclusionThis is the first national analysis of Malawi HIV VL data from LIMS. Our findings show the need to take into account the geographic and demographic characteristics of the patients in order to persistently suppress HIV VL and consequently achieve 95% HIV VL suppression by 2030.

Good laboratory practices (GLP) increase the quality and traceability of results in health sciences research. However, factors such as high staff turnover, insufficient resources, and a lack of training for managers may limit their implementation in research and academic laboratories. This Scoping Review aimed to identify digital tools for managing academic health sciences and experimental medicine laboratories and their relationship with good practices. Following the PRISMA-ScR 2018 criteria, a search strategy was conducted until April 2021 in the databases PUBMED, Web of Sciences, and Health Virtual Library. A critical appraisal of the selected references was conducted, followed by data charting. The search identified twenty-one eligible articles, mainly originated from high-income countries, describing the development and/or implementation of thirty-two electronic management systems. Most studies described software functionalities, while nine evaluated and discussed impacts on management, reporting both improvements in the workflow and system limitations during implementation. In general, the studies point to a contribution to different management issues related to GLP principles. In conclusion, this review identified evolving evidence that digital laboratory management systems may represent important tools in compliance with the principles of good practices in experimental medicine and health sciences research.

The COVID pandemic has passed its first peak for now in many countries while some are still on the rise, with some facing a second wave of cases. Precautions and infection control measures for both pediatric and adult pulmonary function testing (PFT) have been a topic of debate during the pandemic. Many centers had to close their PFT laboratories during the initial periods of the pandemic and are reopening as the numbers of new cases are decreasing. This review aims to summarize different practices of PFT laboratory management in different countries, including patient appointments, personal protective equipment, testing room requirements and telemedicine during and immediately following the COVID pandemic.

Objectives Clinical laboratory analyses are essential part of critical care. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)/coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-confirmed cases were doubling in Germany every 3 days during March 2020. Health care systems are preparing for an epidemic crisis. Methods We outline a cohort-based emergency planning. The plan is based on three independent self-sufficient cohorts that maintain duty for 7 days, followed by quarantine-like rest for 14 days. COVID-19-infected and otherwise ill personnel will be replaced by a tactical reserve, which is again replaced by recovered staff. Results We switched to the outlined system when incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 50/100,000 residents. Our parameter spectrum was reduced to the essential analyses in agreement with our clinical colleagues. So far the system works well. In model calculations, the system is robust to maintain essential laboratory functionality even when incidence of COVID-19 is higher than that currently observed in the most severely hit countries. Conclusions We outline a cohort-based emergency planning to maintain essential functionality of a clinical laboratory while minimizing the risk of spreading infection with COVID-19 among our workforce during the COVID-19 epidemic faced in 2020.

Background & Aims Liver function tests (LFTs) are frequently requested blood tests which may indicate liver disease. LFTs are commonly abnormal, the causes of which can be complex and are frequently under investigated. This can lead to missed opportunities to diagnose and treat liver disease at an early stage. We developed an automated investigation algorithm, intelligent liver function testing (iLFT), with the aim of increasing the early diagnosis of liver disease in a cost-effective manner. Methods We developed an automated system that further investigated abnormal LFTs on initial testing samples to generate a probable diagnosis and management plan. We integrated this automated investigation algorithm into the laboratory management system, based on minimal diagnostic criteria, liver fibrosis estimation, and reflex testing for causes of liver disease. This algorithm then generated a diagnosis and/or management plan. A stepped-wedged trial design was utilised to compare LFT outcomes in general practices in the 6 months before and after introduction of the iLFT system. Diagnostic outcomes were collated and compared. Results Of eligible patients with abnormal LFTs, 490 were recruited to the control group and 64 were recruited to the intervention group. The primary diagnostic outcome was based on the general practitioner diagnosis, which agreed with the iLFT diagnosis in 67% of cases. In the iLFT group, the diagnosis of liver disease was increased by 43%. Additionally, there were significant increases in the rates of GP visits after diagnosis and the number of referrals to secondary care in the iLFT group. iLFT was cost-effective with a low initial incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £284 per correct diagnosis, and a saving to the NHS of £3,216 per patient lifetime. Conclusions iLFT increases liver disease diagnoses, improves quality of care, and is highly cost-effective. This can be achieved with minor changes to working practices and exploitation of functionality existing within modern laboratory diagnostics systems. Lay summary There is a growing epidemic of advanced liver disease, this could be offset by early detection and management. Checking liver blood tests (LFTs) should be an opportunity to diagnose liver problems, but abnormal results are often incompletely investigated. In this study we were able to substantially increase the diagnostic yield of the abnormal LFTs using the automated intelligent LFT system. With the addition of referral recommendations and management plans, this strategy provides optimum investigation and management of LFTs and is cost saving to the NHS.

Medical laboratory science is a major component of global health. Laboratory science for clinical operations and for biomedical research are accompanied by challenges and opportunities. Clinical la...

Objective Evidence has shown that Google searches for clinical symptom keywords correlates with the number of new weekly patients with COVID-19. This multinational study assessed whether demand for SARS-CoV-2 tests could also be predicted by Google searches for key COVID-19 symptoms. Methods The weekly number of SARS-CoV-2 tests performed in Italy and the United States was retrieved from official sources. A concomitant electronic search was performed in Google Trends, using terms for key COVID-19 symptoms. Results The model that provided the highest coefficient of determination for the United States (R2 = 82.8%) included a combination of searching for cough (with a time lag of 2 weeks), fever (with a time lag of 2 weeks), and headache (with a time lag of 3 weeks; the time lag refers to the amount of time between when a search was conducted and when a test was administered). In Italy, headache provided the model with the highest adjusted R2 (86.8%), with time lags of both 1 and 2 weeks. Conclusion Weekly monitoring of Google Trends scores for nonspecific COVID-19 symptoms is a reliable approach for anticipating SARS-CoV-2 testing demands ~2 weeks in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the order of life in all fields, particularly in medical services. Laboratory services in sperm cryopreservation that part of andrology or in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory cannot be separated with handling sperm from patients. Although the presence of viruses in semen has been known through various studies, there is scarce evidence regarding whether sperm fluid can be a medium of COVID-19 transmission. This raised the question of whether some adjustments to manage patient sperm should be made. This review described an overview of the various efforts that can be made to reduce the risk of disease transmission to health workers who handle patient sperm fluid.

Objective A positive result of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection provides critical laboratory evidence for clinical confirmed diagnosis, pandemic status evaluation, a pandemic prevention plan, treatment of infected people with symptoms, and protection of uninfected people. This study aims to provide a practical reference for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid–related research and detection. Methods Our laboratory has established policies combining personnel management and quality control practices for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection during the pandemic. Results In this article, we describe cross-department personnel management and key points of personal protection and quality control in the testing process. We also report on the differences in detection and the compatibility between different brand kits. Conclusion It is critical to maintain a standard and accurate laboratory operation for nucleic acid testing.

Food safety testing is of great significance for building a harmonious society. With the advent of the Internet era, the number of data indicators to be considered in food safety testing has gradually increased, and traditional food testing cannot adapt to the fast pace of today’s times. In order to meet the current challenges of food testing, this paper analyses the advantages of “Internet +” in building a food testing laboratory based on the challenges of food safety testing in the Internet era, and discusses the advantages of “Internet +” in the era of food testing. The paper discusses the intelligent working mode of food testing laboratories in the “Internet +” era, and combines big data technology to build an intelligent and comprehensive laboratory management platform, so as to build a new era of food testing intelligent laboratory, which improves the efficiency of food testing managers, reduces the workload, improves the accuracy of food safety testing, and helps the healthy development of the food industry.

Cannabis laboratory proprietors risk overexposure to staffing, training, quality management, and leadership culture failures. As the technical startup burden is eased by an increasing body of standardized testing methodologies, laboratories must establish programs for continuous improvement to remain competitive. The fastest path to sustainable high-reliability cannabis testing operations incorporates the regulatory history, technical strengths, and modernized quality practices from established relevant testing sectors. This chapter will discuss critical components of cannabis laboratory management including hiring competent personnel, ensuring and documenting adequate training, and promoting a culture of quality and its relationship to ISO/IEC 17025 certification.

With the development of Internet technology, display experiments seem to be gradually replaced by virtual experiments. However, in the actual teaching, it is found that the display experiment plays an irreplaceable role in cultivating ability of student to maintain and innovate. A new idea of management of display laboratory starting from the relationship between entity model and virtual model based on internet of things technology was presented in this paper, in order to solve the difficult problems that have long puzzled the development of laboratory. It lays a foundation for the establishment of a “student-centered” basic teaching environment

Highlights • It is important to minimize workplace cross-transmission during pandemic. • Impact of staff rostering arrangement on workplace cross-transmission is simulated. • From the results, less staff interaction leads to with less cross-transmission. • Laboratories should consider organizing the staff into smaller teams/ shift. • Frequent staff change is preferred (more shift/day, less consecutive days worked)., Background The recent global survey promoted by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Taskforce on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) described staff rostering and organization as significant operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method A discrete event simulation was used to explore the impact of different permutations of staff roster, including the number of shifts per day, the number of staff on duty per shift, overall number of staff accessible to work in the laboratory (i.e. overall staff pool), the frequency of shift changes (i.e. number of consecutive days worked), fixed work-rest days and split team arrangement on workplace transmission of COVID-19 by a simulated index staff who acquired the infection from the community over 21 days. Additionally, the impact of workplace social distancing (physical distancing) and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) were investigated. Results A higher rate of transmission was associated with smaller overall staff pool (expressed as multiples of the number of staff per shift), higher number of shifts per day, higher number of staff per shift, and longer consecutive days worked. Having fixed work-rest arrangement did not significantly reduce the transmission rate unless the workplace outbreak was prolonged. Social distancing and PPE use significantly reduced the transmission rate. Conclusion Laboratories should consider organizing the staff into smaller teams/shift and reduce the number of consecutive days worked. Additionally, our observation aligns with the IFCC biosafety recommendation of monitoring staff health (to detect early infection), split team arrangement, workplace social distancing and use of PPE.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a devastating impact on global health and continues to challenge healthcare infrastructure and delivery. The clinical laboratories were no exception as they are responsible for diagnostic testing that dictates many clinical, infection control, and public health decisions. Information technology and laboratory management tools are critical assets for maintaining and adapting operations in response to crises. When utilized effectively, they promote the integration between the clinical laboratory specialties (e.g., chemistry, hematology, microbiology, and molecular pathology). During the COVID-19 pandemic, our systems and processes were strained due to high testing volumes, demand for rapid turnaround times, supply chain constraints, and constantly evolving testing algorithms and result interpretations as our knowledge of the virus and of diagnostics increased over time. In this report, we describe those challenges and subsequent adaptations made by each clinical laboratory section. We hope these details help to provide potential solutions and approaches for other hospitals facing COVID-19 surges or other future pandemics.

In recent years, the air material transportation system has played an increasingly important role in many fields. However, traditional laboratory management methods cannot meet the requirements for real-time and high-level supervision capabilities of air material transportation laboratories. In order to solve this problem, the real-time database and cloud computing technology are used in this paper to design and improve laboratory management system. The paper discusses the feasibility of the real-time database and cloud computing technology and outlines the three aspects of the design: the overall architecture, network topology and data flow. According to the actual situation of an air material transportation laboratory, the real-time database architecture is designed to manage the massive test data, personnel information, and on-site monitoring equipment of the laboratory. Finally, the project realizes the functions of the system and makes laboratory management more intelligent.