An interview with Judith Strachan and Andrew Deans from Ninewells Hospital
Bringing calprotectin testing in-house has made a marked difference at NHS Tayside. From improving turnaround times to easing clinical decision-making, the shift to using the BÜHLMANN fCAL® turbo assay on the Siemens Atellica, combined with providing CALEX® tubes to their IBD patients, has changed both lab workflow and patient experience.
Barsa Manandhar, Product Manager at Alpha Laboratories spoke with Judith Strachan, Consultant Clinical Scientist, and Andrew Deans, Clinical Scientist at Ninewells Hospital, about how the change came about, the challenges along the way, and the impact it’s had on clinicians and patients.
Background:
Historically, faecal calprotectin samples were sent to a referral laboratory for analysis. While the service itself was reliable, the process was slowed by storage, transport delays, and batching – particularly over weekends and bank holidays. Samples were mailed in standard blue universal pots, which we began to realise weren’t ideal for maintaining sample stability. Over time, it became clear that this approach wasn’t sustainable. Calprotectin isn’t as stable as many assume, especially in those traditional collection pots. We knew of CALEX extraction tubes on the market that offered stability up to seven days at ambient temperature and when we found out that the BÜHLMANN fCAL turbo assay could run on our existing Atellica platform, the opportunity to bring testing in-house became viable. Alongside moving to in-house testing, we introduced CALEX collection devices to our patients. Patients are provided with the CALEX device with informative instructions for use (IFU), so that they can simply collect the sample into the tube, and return the CALEX back to the lab, ready for analysis. It was a significant workflow change, but one that’s proven hugely beneficial.
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