RodneyRohde

Everyone in healthcare, environmental services, and those who plan for the use of surface materials need to step up their vigilance in preventing HAIs. We have reached a new era. One in which our great-grandparents and grandparents dealt. A post-antibiotic era is on our doorsteps if not walking through our door already. We still believe that it is an easy thing to “take an antibiotic” and everything will be fine. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe those days may be over. Truly, every #SurfaceMatters!

What most people do not understand about the environment is that there is an entire world of unseen microbes hiding on all surfaces. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbial life can exist, at least for some time, on almost any surface known to humankind. Likewise, many of us do not realize that “clean does not necessarily mean microbial clean.” In other words, the cleaning and disinfection of surfaces has complex scientific nuances. One must understand the type of surface with respect to the proper choice of disinfectant. In the fight against infections, material compatibility is critically important. The healthcare environment uses any number of materials (e.g. plastics, vinyl, metals, etc.) for equipment, surfaces, and devices that are regularly cleaned with disinfectants. Harsh disinfectants may cause equipment damage, unnecessary costs, and contribute to poor clinical outcomes. We must work to develop standards, resources, and education to overcome key challenges in surface cleaning and disinfection. Our call to action must be a new paradigm on the upstream challenges (design and choice of surfaces) as well as the downstream options (cleaning and disinfection of surfaces) for overall patient safety and health.

ALL Environmental surfaces are a reservoir for microbial pathogens and healthcare associated infections (HAIs) like MRSA. "Clean does not mean microbially clean, or sterile!"

Have you ever wondered who conducts the detailed laboratory testing for your annual exam (such as cholesterol and glucose levels) and analyzes the results? Or, who conducts specialized testing for genetic disorders like sickle cell disease? How about those who identify an antibiotic resistant infection like Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and determine which antibiotic is required to save someone’s life? Well, if you thought that it was your physician, or perhaps a nurse or someone else you see at your doctor’s office or in the hospital, you would be incorrect. When I ask almost anyone in the general public who we are (medical laboratorians) and what we do, they typically don’t know the answer. Since we are often doing your important and critical medical laboratory work, you do not see us in the immediate healthcare environment (bedside, family physician office, etc.). You see the physician, the nurse, the respiratory therapist, the physical therapist and others. These healthcare professionals may even take blood from you or other types of specimens for analysis. However, most people do not know what happens to their specimens (blood, sputum, urine, etc.) once they arrive in the laboratory. They don’t know that medical laboratory professionals will conduct some of the most complex and important work on those specimens, and that knowing the results of that work may very well save your life. Medical laboratory professionals provide up to 70 percent of the medical laboratory results/data for physicians and others to make informed decisions about one’s diagnosis and treatment plan. Here are just a few (very few) of the important types of testing we conduct: We type and match blood during emergency and routine surgery. We provide life-saving diagnoses regarding genetic disorders, healthcare associated infections (HAIs) such as MRSA and C.difficile. Medical laboratory professionals provide answers to life-and-death decisions every day. We detect sickle cell disease, as well as diagnose and monitor your cancer or diabetes results. According to a 2002 study in Clinical Leadership and Management Review titled “The Value of the Laboratory Professional in the Continuum of Care,” author Rodney Forsman, Administrative Director Emeritus of the Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratories and President of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association, stated that 94 percent of the objective medical data in the patient record comes from the laboratory professionals. Doctors rely on laboratory test results to make informed patient diagnoses. Patient history along with physical signs and symptoms are vital, but most diagnoses need confirmation that only laboratory tests can provide. The laboratory professionals also contribute to wellness testing, guiding treatment, and monitoring patient progress. While we should always support those in the public health trenches during times of emerging infectious disease like Ebola or the current Zika outbreak, everyone needs to be aware that professionals in the medical laboratories across this great state and country are JUST as important. We see the acute, immediate crisis in patient’s laboratory needs from these outbreaks in your emergency rooms and hospitals. You might consider us the front door of healthcare in regards to patient diagnosis, while public health laboratory professionals are working at confirming those initial results, as well as determining the epidemiological story behind an outbreak – usually when the event has been ongoing. I’ve worked in both professions, so I know by experience. Regardless, BOTH types of professionals are important to the overall public health of our population.

#MedicalLaboratory professionals are composed of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Technicians, and specialists. We provide over 70% of the laboratory testing data/results for the physician to provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Without us, it would only be an educated guess. We are often "out of sight / out of mind" but YOU want us on that laboratory bench saving lives. See @RodneyRohde articles about the "hidden profession" with Elsevier and others to learn more!