The Bowel Screening Laboratory in Wales have been running the Alpha Laboratories Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) kits on the HM-JACKarc analyser for over five years. The lab runs around 350,000 FIT tests per annum and have recently changed their control reagents from lyophilised controls to the new innovative liquid controls.
Andrew Jones, the Laboratory Section Lead at Bowel Screening Wales, has provided some useful feedback on how the change has positively impacted their laboratory.
Valuable Time Saved and Variability Minimised
Before use, lyophilised quality controls must first be reconstituted with 1ml of deionised water and left to sit for a minimum of fifteen minutes before aliquoting. The process of reconstitution can vary depending on operator technique and equipment used, and any disruption to the reconstitution process could lead to poor end results. Andrew at Bowel Screening Wales found that:
“Using the liquid controls thoroughly improved efficiency and workflow due to the removal of the reconstitution process. All variability has been massively reduced without having different operators making up controls each day.”
Although reconstitution of controls is a simple process, cutting this step out not only saves precious testing time, but also saves valuable storage space without the need to create and store any reconstituted aliquots. When asked, “What is the highlight of changing over to liquid controls for FIT?”, Andrew reiterated that
‘’The removal of the reconstitution process has been most beneficial in managing laboratory procedures.”
Simple, Stress-Free Transition
Bowel Cancer Screening is a huge operation that requires precise planning and constant monitoring. When switching over any laboratory reagents, it is often expected to be a tedious initiative. At Alpha Laboratories, we have a dedicated team who can help integrate the new controls onto your existing quote, answer any technical queries throughout the process, and deliver any specific training associated with the product, if required. The Welsh Bowel Cancer Screening team found the transition
“Easy with no challenges, an in-house, free-of-charge verification was performed first, which streamlined the whole process.”
Ease of Use
Despite the lack of need for reconstitution, users have often assumed the liquid controls still require pipetting into sample cups for analysis. We can confirm this is not the case with the HM-JACKarc liquid controls, the user can simply bring the bottles to room temperature, and fire away! The liquid controls are supplied within 3ml bottle droppers, which ensure swift and simple dispensing of reagent for analysis. When asked about the 3ml liquid control dropper bottles, Andrew highlighted
“The laboratory staff found the dropper bottles highly practical and easy to use, they all preferred this method.”
Contact your local Key Account Manager today for more information on how you can bring this workflow-enhancing product into your lab.
