Curricular Approach to IPE: Preparing Health Professions Students to Deliver Team-Based Care

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential to prepare students for future healthcare careers and to meet accreditation requirements for health profession schools. After surveying successful IPE programs across the country, Marquette University developed a curricular approach. Over 1,500 students from 10 health professions (Athletic Training, Medical Laboratory Science, Counseling Psychology, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Speech-Language Pathology) currently participate in a series of four interactive, half-day courses which are aligned with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies. Courses were moved online in response to the pandemic and are currently delivered using Microsoft Teams. Feedback from learners and faculty is gathered using post-event surveys and has been overwhelmingly positive. Learner outcomes are measured using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey. Overall, this approach has proven to be an effective and efficient model for delivering IPE to large numbers of students.

COVID-19 related challenges faced by Medical Laboratory Staff: A Review of Literature

Laboratory testing on the confirmation of COVID-19 results is an essential component and without the expertise of trained laboratory technicians this is not possible. The aim of this study was to review the impacts of COVID-19 on medical laboratory staff. The literature search was done using Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Proquest databases, and relevant keywords were applied to find studies which have been conducted in the field of Medical Laboratory Science specifically looking at the impacts on staff caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. All the studies pertaining to the topic published in 2020 and 2021 in English language were reviewed and the main themes were identified. The results showed that impacts of COVID-19 were felt by the staff, as they were pushed to their limits causing stress and burnout. Apart from this laboratory staff were faced with issues such as; shortage in terms of human resources, consumables, testing kits and reagents. This was an added factor to delays in testing and disruption to the testing Turnaround time (TATs) and also contributed to the stress and burnout of staff. Laboratory professionals and other health care staffs were pushed to the limits to ensure patient care was not affected and each patient was attended too without delay. Laboratory personnel’s were pushed to their limits to ensure that test results were given on time.

A Scoping Review of Medical Laboratory Science and Simulation: Promoting a Path Forward with Best Practices

Objective In medical laboratory science, there is a need to enhance the clinical learning curriculum beyond laboratory skill and diagnostic interpretation competency. Incorporating simulation presents an opportunity to train and produce medical laboratory scientists with the skills to communicate and work effectively in an interprofessional healthcare team. Methods A scoping review was performed to (i) understand the landscape of research literature on medical laboratory science and simulation and (ii) provide a path for future research directions. The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Standards of Best Practice: Simulation were used as a guiding framework for literature that described simulation activities. Results Out of 439 articles from multiple databases, 32 were eligible for inclusion into this review. Of the 14 articles that described a simulation activity, only 3 described or partially described each component of the best practice criteria for simulation. Articles that did not describe the design and implementation of simulation (n = 18) consisted of 7 opinion-based papers, 4 narrative reviews, 5 case reports, and 2 empirical papers. Conclusion Despite increases in medical laboratory science with simulation, there is a need for more detailed empirical studies, more studies with an interprofessional context, and more methodological rigor.

Fighting COVID-19: The Medical Laboratory Involvement

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) virus has infected many people across the globe. The health system particularly medical laboratory has been overwhelmed by the pandemic, and many health professionals including medical laboratory professionals have lost their lives during the fight against the virus. Medical laboratory science is the bedrock of medical practice and the role of medical laboratory science in containing the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overemphasized as they are also behind the testing of clinical specimens from infected and any recovered patients. As disease detectives, Medical laboratory scientists and other medical laboratory professionals’ role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic include; diagnosis, monitoring, development of vaccines, testing protocols, testing kits, offering advice to the guide government policy on containment of the virus.: Various methods and techniques such as virological cell culture, genomic sequencing, amplification, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) /gene Xpert systems, immunological testing, biosensors and rapid diagnostic techniques (RDTs) have been employed towards discovery, testing and epidemiology since the onset of COVID-19. The medical laboratory workers and other health workers are so visible at the COVID-19 frontline and are being recognized and applauded for the role played in the recovery of patients affected with the virus. The medical laboratory component is very germane in the COVID-19 vaccine research and vaccination so as to provide pre- and post-vaccination laboratory data.

Some Heavy Metals Correlated Negatively with Total Antioxidant Capacity, Glutathione Peroxidase, Fructose, and Testosterone in Seminal Plasma of Oligospermic and Azoospermic Males

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between some heavy metals and total antioxidant capacities, glutathione levels, fructose, and testosterone in seminal plasma of infertile azoospermic and oligospermic males in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Study Design: A cross-sectional design with a total of 124 males included in the study of which 32 were azoospermic, 38, oligospermic, and 54, normospermic. Place and Duration of Study: Semen samples were collected from the urology or fertility clinic of UUTH, St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, and Ibom specialist hospital of Akwa Ibom State. However, laboratory assays were performed at the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt between May, 2018 and January, 2021. Methodology: Semen specimens were collected after 3-5 days abstinence according to WHO criteria while seminal plasma were obtained from semen by spinning at 4500 rpm for 10 minutes and stored at -700C prior to laboratory analysis. Atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) was used to determine the levels of heavy metals while ELISA methods were used to determine testosterone and GSH concentrations. TAC and fructose assays were carried out using spectrophotometric methods. Results: Results showed that non-essential heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic correlated negatively with testosterone, fructose, and antioxidant activities of the seminal plasma in azoospermic subjects. In addition, lead and mercury correlated positively in the azoospermic subjects. Meanwhile, selenium, an essential heavy metal, correlated positively with testosterone and antioxidant activities in oligospermic subjects with 11-19 x106cells/ml. Conclusion: The levels of non-essential heavy metals in azoospermic subjects precipitated poor anti-oxidant and testosterone activities inducing oxidative stress while in oligospermic subjects, selenium and antioxidant parameters and testosterone were in good association indicating improved antioxidant activities and testicular function.

A comparative study of glycaemic variability using four different Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) devices

Background: Blood glucose measurement is a way of monitoring changes in glycaemia. Different point-of-care testing (POCT) glucose meters are on the market and hence there is an increase in variability of the results given by these meters. This study sought to measure the glycaemic variability using four different point-of-care glucose meters Methods: Four point of care glucometers namely; Accu-chek performer nano, OneTouch select plus flex, OneTouch Ultra 2 and Easy Check were used test blood samples from a total of 100 patients visiting the collection point of the Tamale Teaching Hospital Laboratory. A chemistry analyzer (Mindray BS 240 fully automated) was used as the reference method. Results: The median (interquartile range), Bland Altman Plot and Regression Equation were used to assess the agreement between the various meters and the reference method. The OneTouch Select plus had the least bias (-0.85) and the the OneTouch Ultra 2 had the highest bias (1.49). The OneTouch select had the best limits of agreement (-2.51 – 0.82) and the OneTouch Ultra 2 had the widest limits of agreement (-1.91 – 4.89) when compared to the reference method. Conclusion: OneTouch Select plus had the best agreement with the reference method and the OneTouch Ultra 2 had the least agreement with the reference method. Blood glucose meters should be used for the monitoring of blood glucose however, it should not be used as a diagnostic tool. Annals of Medical Laboratory Science (2021) 1(2), 1 - 8 Keywords: glucometer, point-of-care, blood glucose, glycaemia

Correlation between faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and hospital wastewaters: Implication on public health

Background: Hospital wastewaters contain blends of inorganic, natural constituents and contaminants that carry significant health risk when released directly into the environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and wastewaters generated in University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital complex, Akure, Nigeria.Methodology: Quantification of faecal indicator bacteria was carried out on diarrheagenic faecal samples collected from 55 hospitalized patients and 68 wastewater samples from the medical laboratory science and laundry units of the hospital over of period of 12 weeks. Standard membrane filtration technique was performed using membrane intestinal enterococcus (m-ENT), membrane faecal coliform (m-FC), membrane lauryl sulphate (MLSA), eosin methylene blue (EMB) and Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar plates, which were incubated at 37ºC for 24 hours (MLSA, EMB and SSA), 44ºC for 24 hours (m-FC); and 37ºC for 48 hours (m-ENT). Bacterial colonies on agar plates were counted and expressed as colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of diarrheagenic stool and wastewater. Pearson’scorrelation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the level of faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and wastewaters at p<0.05 level of significance (and 95% confidence interval).Results: The faecal coliform counts (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 1.18 to 1.54 in diarrheagenic stools, 1.32 to1.64 in laboratory wastewater and 1.08 to 2.19 in laundry wastewater. Escherichia coli count (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 1.08 to 1.40 in diarrheagenic stools, 1.20 to 1.86 in laboratory wastewater and 0.30 to 1.81 in laundry wastewater. Intestinal enterococci count (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 0 to 0.30 in diarrheagenic stools, 0.78 to 0.90 in laboratory wastewaters and 0.48 to 1.11 in laundry wastewaters. Pearson’s correlation co-efficient showed that all the faecal indicator bacteria count in diarrheagenic faecal samples exhibited positive correlation with those in laboratory wastewaters, but not with those from laundry wastewaters.Conclusion: The findings suggest that diarrheagenic stools should be properly disinfected after the performance of laboratory tests to prevent transmission of potential pathogens, and wastewater generated from hospitals should be treated prior to discharge into the environment, to prevent possible infections in the community. Keywords: Correlation, faecal indicator bacteria, public health, transmission, wastewater