Hi Stephen,
As you are a new boy, I'll treat you gently. It's not
a question of patients being unsatisfied with the lab
service. It is a question of patients being able to
manage their anti-coagulation therapy themselves. Not
appropriate for every patient, but many patients
appreciate that regular testing of their INR and
making small but effective adjustments to their dosage
gives better control, less complications, is
cost-effective and is now recognised as being good
patient management. Also there is no law against a
patient walking into Boots and buying a meter, or
glucose meter for diabetics too, and proceeding to use
it. Surely it is better to have patients with the
correct information and guidance from their own
haematologists, and with access to EQA for their
meter? The scheme needs careful monitoring but can
work very much to the patient's benefit.
You will find many references in recent literature to
such schemes. Self-management is going to increase and
we must learn to come out of our little ivory towers
and help patients with it.
Jan
--- Beckett Stephen
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Emma
>
> Excuse me if I'm barking up the wrong tree as I'm
> new to the NHS but if my
> interpretation of what you are signifying is correct
> then I totally disagree
> with what is being suggested. Pathology staff
> already has enough issues to
> concern them without encouraging patients to take
> the self assessment route
> and all it implies. The question that should be
> asked is why these patients
> have felt it necessary to purchase their own INR
> devices in the first place
> - are they not satisfied with the level of service
> on offer?
>
> Regards
>
> Stephen D Beckett
> Quality Manager
> Pathology Department
> Burnley General Hospital
> Tel: 01282 475167
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Emma (RW3) CM&MC Manchester
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 18 June 2003 12:16
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: INR Home Testing
>
>
>
> A few patients at our Anti-Coagulant Clinic have
> independently purchased
> devices for monitoring their INR levels and we
> suspect this is likely to
> increase.
> I have met with the (medical) Consultant
> Haematologist responsible for the
> Clinic and we would like to establish some formal
> protocols relating to
> patient selection, patient training and competency
> assessment, device
> evaluation and responsibilities of patient,
> anti-coagulant clinic staff,
> laboratory and GP in this situation. Does anyone
> have any experience of this
> or guidance to offer? Do laboratories offer EQA of
> these devices and if so
> is this a formal membership of a national scheme or
> parallel testing when
> the patient attends clinic?
> Any advice would be very much appreciated
> Many thanks
> Emma
>
>
> Ms Emma James
> Point of Care Testing Coordinator
> Biochemistry Dept
> Manchester Royal Infirmary
> M13 9WL
>
> 0161 276 4891
>
>
=====
Mrs. J. Still,
POCT Manager,
Biochemistry Dept,
Watford General Hospital. 01923-217998.
The views expressed in this message are personal and do not reflect West Herts NHS Hospitals Trust policy.
__________________________________________________
Yahoo! Plus - For a better Internet experience
http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/yplus/yoffer.html
|