Upcoming Supported Regional Events
The ARUP Institute for Learning is committed to supporting educational events that advance the practice of laboratory medicine and improve quality patient care by providing guest speakers at local and regional meetings. Listed below are the current events where the Institute for Learning is providing sponsored speakers.
List of Upcoming Events
| Event Name | Featured Speaker | Presentation Description | Event Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulare/Kings Chapter Seminar (Visalia, CA) |
Joely Straseski, PhD, MS, MT(ASCP), DABCC Medical Director, Endocrinology |
Optimal, insufficient, or deficient: Which Vitamin D test should I order and what is the lab actually measuring? “Vitamin D” can be a very confusing topic with equally complex nomenclature. Who is at risk for Vitamin D deficiency? What is the difference between Vitamin D 25 and Vitamin D 1, 25? D2, D3 or Total? Which is the appropriate test to use for what types of patients? Much press has been generated regarding the “epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency,” as well as the proposed benefits of Vitamin D supplementation. Decision limits and intake recommendations are another confusing and sometimes controversial area. This session will review basic calcium homeostasis, with an emphasis on how Vitamin D is involved in the regulation. The health benefits and risks of Vitamin D supplementation will be discussed, including current recommendations and issues with determining reference intervals for this analyte. As Vitamin D testing volumes have dramatically increased in the past few years, questions regarding available methods, what they test, and overall test accuracy have been raised. The biases that have been reported for certain Vitamin D assays may confound monitoring of therapy, therefore what forms of Vitamin D are measured by each assay is important information to be aware of. A summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the currently available test methods, from immunoassay to mass spectrometry, will be discussed. In addition, the use of certified reference materials and proficiency testing materials and their contribution to method harmonization will be outlined. The Delta Check in Action: Causes and Consequences of Discrepant Laboratory Results. You check a patient’s sodium on Monday and it is 145 mEq/L. You check it 4 weeks later and it is now 154 mEg/L. What caused that change? Is the patient ill? Is this a normal fluctuation over time? Is the patient on corticosteroids? Or was the patient simply dehydrated? All are viable explanations for the discrepancy observed between these laboratory values. Discrepant results are often identified by delta check alerts. Delta checks compare current laboratory results to previous results; if the difference between the two values exceeds predetermined biological limits (within a predetermine length of time), a technologist is alerted and the discrepancy can be investigated further. Causes of discrepant laboratory results include both preanalytical and analytical issues, and true biological changes occurring within the patient. Many preanalytical issues cannot be detected by traditional QC methods, leading to the possible reporting of erroneous laboratory results. The wrong result compromises patient care by leading to inappropriate diagnoses or treatment. Delta check alerts provide an additional means to identify these types of problems, in addition to alerting health care providers to true changes in their patient’s condition. This presentation will highlight current methods used to determine delta check limits, tips for implementing a systematic investigation of discrepancies, and clinical implications of reporting discrepant results. |
February 25, 2012 |
| CLMA Greater LA Chapter Annual Spring Educational Event (Duarte, CA) |
Lucinda Manning, BA, MT(ASCP), RN | When Professionals Meet: Bridging the Gap Between the Laboratory and Nursing Ms. Manning will give a comparison of the differences in learning in the laboratory and nursing professions. She will share personal examples of the struggles each profession has in understanding each other. She will also discuss practical ways to bridge the gaps in understanding between the two professions. There will be time during the presentation to discuss the issues you may be facing within your own organizations in regards to the laboratory/nursing interactions and ways to enhance those relationships. Ms. Manning encourages the audience to be interactive and to share problems as well as best practices and successes in bridging the gap between these two professions. |
March 3, 2012 |
| Kansas City CLMA (Kansas City, MO) |
Chérie Petersen | Communication Biohazard The laboratory plays an invaluable and enormously significant role in health care. Laboratory professionals’ posses highly specialized expertise, experience, and skills, which are the cornerstone of optimal patient care. Did you know that 75 to 85 percent of the diagnostic information used in treating a patient during an episode of care comes from laboratory information? This same data comprises 90 to 95 percent of the patient’s medical record. Amazingly, the laboratory provides this tremendous contribution to patient care for only 3 to 5 percent of the total health care cost. Can you think of any greater, more cost-effective service being provided in health care today? Plain and simple, there just isn’t! The laboratory provides the greatest value proposition, meaning the relationship between quality and price, in health care. Considering the impact of the laboratory’s value contribution to patient care, awareness of communication issues is more important than ever. Laboratory professionals are experts in their field; however, at times the delivery, or packaging, of their expertise can sabotage the actual value. This training session engages participants with an energetic, focused, interactive, and humorous approach which uncovers and explores some of the communication biohazard that can be pervasive within any laboratory. Attendees will have the opportunity to identify some of the communication pitfalls that occur all too frequently while developing appropriate communication strategies to align their communication delivery methods with the value of their expertise. | March 7, 2012 |