LABORATORY MANAGEMENT ARTICLES

In this fifth article in his latest series, Stephen MacDonald explores the intricacies of dealing with three limits – blank, detection and quantitation – and common misconceptions, limitations and cautions to their interpretation, and offers readers some practical take home points.

Drone delivery is currently offering improved speed and reliability of NHS tests for patients served by South West London Pathology with the service provider looking to expand the trial service.

Aimee Pinnington considers the barriers and opportunities for biomedical scientists looking to further their career with advanced practice, and the implications for workforce development.

The last few years have seen huge strides in the development of in vitro diagnostics, with the expected associated changes in quality assurance, guidance and regulation. But, askes Lorna Ingoldsby, what happens when the evidence required by regulatory bodies does not match up with the realities faced in the laboratory

While the move to digital pathology requires a large up-front investment; what is often not considered are the ongoing hidden costs associated with traditional glass-slide workflows. Ryan Davis examines the specific laboratory efficiency workflow costs that manual slide handling imposes, and explains why addressing these costs is not just capital expenditure argument.

Hermione Blakiston and Erica Kantor warn that delayed diagnosis is having a negative impact on outcomes for women, while placing an increased strain on healthcare services. They look at the potential of promising biomarkers in closing the ‘diagnosis gap’.

In this fourth article in his current series, Stephen MacDonald moves on to provide a guide to dealing with the results of statistical tests initially that look reassuring yet still hide a clinically important problem.

In this third article in his series on statistics, Stephen MacDonald moves on to look at precision studies, focusing on issues such as their practical use, terms used, study design, and interpretation. Also included is a worked example and important take-home points for the reader.

The European Commission’s targeted revision proposal of the EU Medical Devices Regulation and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation aims to bring urgently needed reforms to increase patient protection and trust in medical technologies. Here, trade association MedTech Europe assesses the changes.

In this second article in his new series, Stephen MacDonald moves on to hypothesis testing. Here, he looks at statistical assumptions, study design and data quality, which are central to arriving at the correct decision about what test to run, if at all.

After a busy 2025, the next few months will see further change in the regulation of medical devices around the globe. Jonathan Ripley picks 10 trends to monitor.

With the UK’s first cobas Mass Spec solution, Roche Diagnostics is promising a step change in advanced diagnostics.

Beth Loudon provides an introduction to value‑based procurement for practitioners working in NHS pathology services, who may have limited exposure to NHS purchasing practice. This article expands on common challenges and offers practical steps to make VBP workable.

With the first in a new series of articles, Stephen MacDonald returns to the pages of Pathology in Practice. Here, he begins with an introduction to statistical interpretation focusing on improving the quality of the first statistical encounter with a dataset.

This year marks the start of a series of deadlines to ensure Class C medical devices remain in step with new regulations. Many diagnostic devices face a more demanding future as the new IVDR requirements are set to heighten scrutiny of laboratory and POCT equipment, as Liz Harrison explains.

New research from CPI reveals systemic barriers facing UK MedTech startups and spinouts and calls for coordinated reform across regulation, investment and NHS adoption, to unlock innovation and deliver national health and economic strategies.

Advances in molecular and genomic technologies are transforming oncology diagnostics, bridging screening, risk stratification, and treatment selection into a connected model of early cancer detection.

Stephen MacDonald concludes his series of articles on risk-based quality management by drawing together the various elements on which each of the previous seven articles focused.

Earlier this year, South West London Pathology celebrated the installation of new analysers and automated tracking at Croydon Hospital’s essential service laboratory. Six months on, Pathology in Practice Editor Andy Myall caught up with SWLP‘s Managing Director Simon Brewer to see how the project is progressing.

With laboratories under pressure, automation allows staff to gain back time. Here, Megan Northam explains how her laboratory has benefited from the features of the OsmoPRO MAX Automated Osmometer.