Some personal comments.

1  would ban any samples not in vacutainers or similar tubes. Decontaminating after leaks can lead to a lot of downtime.

2 At my previous hospital pharmacy shared the pods and used them for drug delivery. Despite different colour codes wards often used pharmacy pods for lab samples and vice – versa. Although I often sent pods back to the pharmacy with a note stating they needed decontamination I suspect the notes were thrown away and the pods re-used.

3 – no suggestions.

4 ban the use of ice with blood gas samples. (many sites don’t allow blood gases anyway)

Ban glass containers.

Ensure all users are aware of who is responsible for repairs and what number to phone when more pods are needed.

Make sure ward sisters don’t hoard pods.

Have credible sanctions to ensure users comply with rules – e.g. cut off service for one day for first offence, one week for second and so on.

 

 

 

 

Dear all,

We are just in the first stages of commissioning a pneumatic tube system.

A few questions to you seasoned campaigners out there who have had such systems for a while now.

1. What do you ban completely from being transported in the tube? OK, OK I can see some smart / humorous answers coming (like not allowing the canteen to send porridge), but the point behind my question is that from my limited view of practice in the UK, it appears that some users ban the transport of “precious / irreplaceable” specimens e.g. CSF or biopsy material, whilst other users make no such distinctions. On the one hand, concern at total loss of such specimens in the bowels of a tube system would seem to be justified. On the other hand, not trusting the system for “known” precious specimens assumes that all the rest are not precious and are disposable. Also, the assumption appears to be made that anything delayed / trapped in the system is irretrievable. It may take a while, but everything can be found eventually. (One large London Hospital who we talked to during our pre-purchase site visits has an underground tube system that extends about 0.9km under a major road delivering specimens from clinical areas to a remotely sited lab. The only problem they had experienced with this link was when someone could not get any more anticoag clinic specimens inside the pod, and so decided to strap the 2 remaining specimens to the outside of the pod with sticking plaster….they were all retrieved, eventually.)

2. How many of you share the use of the system with some or all other non laboratory Departments, and what benefits or difficulties does that create?

3. What do you use as a) shock absorbent material within the pod and b) as leakage absorbent material within the pod? The 2 functions are different but of course related, as lack of shock absorption may lead to leakage (we have a 160mm dia system, where a small number of specimens can rattle around quite a lot). Has anyone found a suitable material that is cheap, disposable and fit for purpose for either or both of these tasks? I have seen a variety of practices in other hospitals, ranging from nothing in the pod, bubble wrap, tissues, old socks etc. etc. Seriously, this is an important point for us. We have bought a highly professional looking piece of kit, the effect of which is sharply diminished in people’s minds when they see bits of paper hand towels being stuffed into the pod. At the instigation of our Histology colleagues (leakage of formaldehyde into the system is highly undesirable) we are looking at some inner plastic leak proof containers that are reasonably priced, and will cover the leakage issue, but may well “go walkies” as they look to be rather useful (but perhaps not so when people realise that they have been used for transport of MSUs, swabs and blood samples.) Our system employs “soft start and arrival” which, we are told by the manufacturers, eliminates problems of haemolysis etc. observed by other users. We shall see.

4. Any other useful tips, information would be useful.

The general view of users that I have talked to is that they cannot remember what is what like PT (pre tube), and things are great until it goes wrong, and that there is a need for 24/7/365 cover to effect speedy repairs / resetting of the system.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

Chris Royle
NPT Project Manager
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust,
Royal Brompton Hospital,
Sydney Street,
LONDON
SW3 6NP
phone:  + 44 (0)20 7351 8413
fax:      + 44 (0)20 7351 8416
e mail [log in to unmask]

 

 

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