The fall meeting/vendor fair for 2005 was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Alsip, Illinois on Wednesday, November 2 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.  The meeting was attended by 72 registered healthcare professionals as well as representatives from the program sponsors and vendors: Abbott, BD, Biostar, Biosite, CAP, Dade, Fisher, Hemosenc, IL, JDI,  MAS, Owen Mumford, Radiometer, Response Biomedical and Roche.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks by Darlene Sobucki, founder of the Tri-State POC Network.  Members of the core group include:  Wendy Denk, Ingalls Hospital, Harvey, IL; Gil Salas, Univ of Illinois – Chicago, Chicago, IL; Darlene Sobucki, Advocate Trinity – Chicago and Advocate South Suburban, Hazel Crest, IL.   Darlene announced that this was the last meeting she would be a member of the Core group and that Joanne McEldowney, RN (UIC – Chicago) would assume her position.  Anyone interested in becoming involved in the Core group was invited to talk to Joanne.

Our first speaker, Adam J. Singer, MD (sponsored by Abbott) spoke on the Importance of POC in the ER.  His facility moved to POCT because of the delay in test results from the main lab.  He discussed the advantages and disadvantages of POCT as well as the utility of testing.  He suggests you need to identify your needs and tailor your POCT panel to those needs and that the ideal use of POCT is when the result will determine what immediate treatment/action should be.  He feels that overall, POCT reduces a patient’s LOS.  However, although the test results were more rapid, the patient’s stay in the ER did not change due to the fact there was no transport to the units.  He also suggests reflexive orders to POCT, ie. Creat before a CT with contrast or pregnancy test before an Xray.

A two and a half hour vendor fair followed. Many thanks to the vendors who participated in the event, we hope to see you again in 2006.  As always, there were new devices and kits that demonstrate the ever-changing field of POCT.

Following lunch, Rick Import (sponsored by MAS) presented Part 1 of Leadership Communication for the POCC.  The following is Rick’s perception of the POCC Profile: attention to detail, efficient, organized, time efficient, high standards, high expectations and wears lots of hats.  His presentation included listening skills for both one-way communication and two-way communication and demonstrated how a two-way communication, although harder to deliver and takes more time, results in much more precise results.  Our biggest mistake is we make judgments too soon and try to change the other’s perspective without knowing or seeking the other person’s perspective.  There are different types of listening: pretending, selective, attentive, reloading and active.  Active listening is four phases and provides the most successful communication.  Remember, understand first, then be understood.

Part II of Rick’s presentation was Be Understood. Remember, it’s not what you say but how you say it.

Sixty percent of communication is non-verbal, 30 percent is sound and 10 percent words, so watch your body language!

The last presentation, Preparing POCT for a CAP Accreditation Inspection, was presented by Danette Pravidica, MS, MT(ASCP) from the College of American Pathologists.  She described the checklist reorganization and discussed the unannounced survey process and how to prepare for it.  There will be more discussions with supervisory and bench personnel, using probing and open-ended questions, and observation to ensure practice matches written procedure.  There will also be selected test audits of high and low volume tests and criticals.  Highlights: Electronic manuals are OK but the operator needs to demonstrate how to obtain the manual.  Rotate the staff for the PT but not all are required to participate.  Define who can perform the tests.  Write the expiration date on vials if there is a change once opened/reconstituted.  Assess skills of operators.  Blood gas syringes need to be identified.  Follow-up to all  deficiencies, including education challenges, is required.

As for the unannounced inspection, the inspection can occur anytime during the 6 months prior to the anniversary date, and begins with the reapplications sent January 2006.  The laboratory will not be aware of the identity of the inspection team nor the day/date of the inspection,  so be sure to have others prepared to take over in your absence. 

Finally, congratulations to those who won the numerous raffle gifts!  For the rest of us, we’ll hope for better luck next time.