At the end of February 2014, a group of anatomic pathology experts from leading healthcare institutions around the globe gathered at the Tucson headquarters of Ventana Medical Systems Inc. (Ventana) to examine laboratory-based patient safety issues and work toward a consensus on how to advance the standard of care for patients.
On February 27, 2014, an international panel of leaders in the pathology community announced its support of four principles designed to drive positive change and improve patient safety in the anatomic pathology laboratory. At the invitation of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), a member of the Roche Group, the panel convened to examine the state of lab-based patient safety, with the challenge to work toward a consensus on how to advance the standard of care for patients.
Ventana Medical Systems. Inc. convened an international panel of leaders in the pathology community to examine the state of lab-based patient safety, with the challenge to work toward a consensus on how to advance the standard of care for patients.
A Congressional Briefing in Washington in November of 2012 explored critical patient safety issues related to tissue slide processing that often get overlooked in US clinical and anatomic laboratories. The Briefing was designed to educate federal legislators and their staffs about patient safety issues as they consider related legislation, regulatory oversight, and constituent service.
Rep. Ron Barber (Dem-Arizona) delivered opening remarks for the Briefing before introducing Mara G. Aspinall, President, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. Aspinall moderated a distinguished panel including Maurie Markman, MD, Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs/National Director of Medical Oncology, Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Eric Walk, MD, FCAP, Senior Vice President, Medical & Scientific Affairs, Ventana; and Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, Interim President National Patient Safety Foundation.
Clinical Lab Products Magazine overview of the Congressional briefing
Medical Laboratory Observer Magazine: Patient safety and cancer: the dialogue begins on Capitol Hill
Measurement of stainer bath contamination and evaluation of common mitigation strategies published in Journal of Histotechnology, (Vol 35, Number 3, September 2012, pp. 130-139(10), investigates the levels of tissue cross contamination in the histology laboratory.
Ventana Medical Systems. Inc. announced a groundbreaking study in the Journal of Histotechnology that indicates there is a real risk that errors can be made in the processing of biopsy tissue.
A new approach to minimize the problem of patient to patient contamination in histology, published in Australian Journal of Medical Science (Vol 33 Number 2, May, 2012) comprehensively examines the tissue handling and staining, and identifies sources of tissue cross contamination during these processes, along with the diagnostic dilemmas it creates.
Rate of Occult Specimen Provenance Complications in Routine Clinical Practice, published in the American Society for Clinical Pathology (January 2013; 139 (1)), evaluates a data set of almost 13,000 prostate biopsies that were prospectively tested for specimen provenance errors as part of routine clinical practice. The frequency of occult type 1 errors (a complete transposition between patients) and type 2 errors (contamination of the patient's tissue with 1 or more unrelated patients) was 0.26% and 0.67%.
