28/01/2022
Special Report:
Demystifying KNH Laboratories By Kilivwa Mukaya Clinical laboratories are healthcare facilities providing a wide range of procedures that aid physicians in carrying out the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients. These laboratories are manned by medical technologists (clinical laboratory scientists) trained to perform various tests on samples of biological specimens collected from patients. All our clinical laboratories are situated within the hospital to provide access to both physicians and patients. Classification of our clinical laboratories indicated below reveal that our hospital can provide quality specialized laboratory tests that are significant for addressing medical and public health needs. It also shows we can provide tests on a particular field of interest, that is, Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Banking and Serology (Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine), Histopathology, Cytopathology, and Molecular Biology. The value of clinical laboratories as an integral part of the healthcare system was not well-realized before as it is now. Throughout time, more physicians have recognized the need for laboratory tests to confirm the diagnoses and to support the monitoring of the patients’ response to therapy. Additionally, apart from the known value to our patients, the function of our clinical laboratories has expanded to encompass screening and surveillance of diseases significant to public health. Kenyatta National Hospital Laboratory services are ISO 15189 accredited and follow three phases of the laboratory testing process, that is, Standard Operating Procedure manuals and job aids which are written to guide staff on carrying out each step of the phase: preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical. Due to the need for risk management in our clinical
laboratories to maintain the accuracy and reliability of laboratory tests, the department has adopted and maintained the Risk Register. This follows guidelines developed by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), which introduced the principles of risk management specifically in the clinical laboratory setup. This has greatly reduced errors (pre-analytic, analytic, and postanalytic phases) through risk assessment to risk analysis, evaluation, and control down to the process of continuous quality improvement. Risks identified, for instance, in specimen collection and handling and the disposal of laboratory wastes are taken into consideration by our professionals. To improve on our services and enhance efficiency, the department has embarked on the establishment of a laboratory information system which is valuable in the management of results and other pertinent
“ Kenyatta National Hospital Laboratory services are ISO 15189 accredited ”
ISSUE 1 | Kenyatta National Hospital Newsline
information regarding patients and their samples. Our laboratories have state-of-theart equipment that does the majority of actual sample testing. However, the hospital heavily relies on laboratory professionals that ensure that results are accurate and reliable. The Department of Laboratory Medicine (DLM) prides itself on providing high-quality, diagnostic testing. This success can be attributed to the fact that the department continuously addresses pertinent issues, namely; human and financial resources, training and supervision, planning and budgeting, quality assurance, logistics and supply, biosafety and equipment management, and other relevant laboratory aspects which are necessary for the optimization of laboratory services provided to patients. In line with the hospital vision and mission, the department of Laboratory Medicine continues to offer quality and timely results to the hospital clients, but again endeavors to innovate further to better outcomes. This year alone, the department has replaced old equipment with state-of-the-art analyzers promising a bright future for our healthcare services.
PHOTO | AL-AMIN COLLEGE A lab technician carrying out a test on a sample in a lab
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