URINALYSIS
New analyser offers innovation through urine microscopy automation
Auch Hospital in the south of France recently took delivery of that country’s first example of a new cytology analyser. Here, Pathology in Practice hears from three senior laboratory staff involved in the project about the changes that have taken place following the addition of this new automated technology.
You have just automated your urine cytology bench by installing the Beckman Coulter DxU. What was the aim of this new installation? Dr Sébastien Laurens: We are in a situation where medical biology is expanding while at the same time we are facing a shortage of technicians. These circumstances necessitate bringing analysers back in-house and developing new analysers while saving time on
existing, routine analysis. That’s why we chose to invest in automated urine cytology.
Our laboratory handles around 6,000 to 7,000 urine samples annually, drawn from hospital samples and related organisations with haemodialysis, screening, paediatric rehabilitation, and psychiatric centres. Until now, we were reading manually. Mounting and reading Kova cells under the microscope takes
time – meaning we’ve been limited by technician time, which restricted the development of new analyses. Installing the DxU saved us 30 minutes per day for each technician, and so enabled us to develop new analyses, such as STIs by RT-PCR. We think in terms of medical service provided to patients, and with the installation of the DxU, we’ve considerably improved our turnaround time for results on urine analyses. Working manually, technicians carried out three readings per day – while now, analyses are done continuously, contributing to an improved turnaround time for patient results.
Dr Julien Lacombe: This also means that the analyses are now done closer to the time of sampling. So in addition to turnaround time for results, we have improved post-sampling handling lead time. Automation is better for technicians organising weekend duty cover, where staff numbers are reduced.
Acting as a hub for local medical centres, Auch Hospital has a busy on-site laboratory. 48
This represented a big change for the technicians. Was it well received? SL: With automation, the technicians have been relieved of manual tasks such as adjusting the microscope, spreading on a slide, and counting. Instead, they can classify cells, which is more intellectually stimulating. And, of course, they continue to deal with bacteriology by adding agar plate cultures if necessary. Dr Hugo Migne: Above all, having the analyser is reassuring for the technicians regarding quality control. Results are no longer entered manually, so there is less risk of transcription errors or inversion problems with data input. JL: We’ve also had very good feedback from technicians on the training. They reported feeling well-supported and reassured when they started using the DxU.
MAY 2024
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