The South Eastern Trust has taken a significant step forward in improving patient care with the installation of new, upgraded blood gas instruments. Following a successful regional procurement exercise, these state-of-the-art machines are now deployed across wards in hospitals within the Trust, processing over 700,000 samples a year and providing point of care results at the patient’s bedside.
Point of care testing is carried out at the patient’s bedside and ranges from simple urine dipsticks to complex fully automated bench-top blood gas analysers. Last year, South Eastern Trust staff carried out 1 million point of care tests which equated to approx. 1.7 million reported results. As the healthcare system continues to transform, the use of point of care testing is expanding beyond the hospital environment and into community and primary care settings.
Blood gas analysers are a critical tool in point of care testing and are widely used to quickly assess a patient’s blood sample outside of the laboratory setting. The rapid availability of results, often within minutes, makes point of care testing especially valuable in situations where immediate clinical decisions are required.
The machines measure critical blood gas levels, including oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and acidity, providing valuable insights into the diagnosis of respiratory, renal and metabolic conditions. The range of tests offered by these analysers has grown and they now include vital metrics such as electrolytes (sodium, potassium), metabolites (glucose, lactate) and haemoglobin levels (such as carboxyhaemoglobin in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning).
These new analysers provide a standardised approach across multiple Trusts, offering a significant advantage for healthcare professionals. Previously, staff rotating between Trusts had to familiarise themselves with different equipment, leading to multiple training sessions. With the introduction of this unified system, the need for repeated training has been eliminated, streamlining operations and enhancing staff efficiency.
A comprehensive training programme was rolled out, resulting in 753 doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals (AHPs) being trained and authorised to use the new equipment over a six-week period. This ensures that clinical staff are fully equipped to utilise these advanced machines consistently and effectively.
Consultant Clinical Scientist, Derek McKillop commented: “We are delighted to have successfully implemented these upgraded blood gas analysers across the South Eastern Trust. The standardisation and efficiency they bring to our healthcare professionals, combined with the rapid, reliable results they provide will enhance patient care. This is a key development as we continue to enhance our healthcare services and expand our testing capabilities.”
Senior Biomedical Scientist, Marnie Dodd who led the roll-out of the project within the Trust added, “Through the implementation of the regional procurement exercise, these new analysers will provide a more unified joined-up approach of our blood gas service across all five Health and Social Care Trusts. This will allow staff more flexibility when rotating across different hospital sites around Northern Ireland and will remove the need for multiple training on a range of varied machines. This project has involved us working in partnership with a range of staff in I.T, Pharmacy, Ward staff and suppliers. It has been a huge undertaking and I am delighted that it is now being rolled out across the region.”