Urine chemistry analyser has set new standards for pregnancy testing (hCG) and urinary tract infection (UTI) screening, eliminating problems associated with subjective interpretation of test results
Two years on from the launch of the Clinitek Status urine chemistry analyser by Bayer Diagnostics, the instrument has set new standards of convenience and reliability for both pregnancy testing (hCG) and urinary tract infection (UTI) screening at the point of care.
The Clinitek Status provides an automated reading facility for Bayer's Multistix urine test strips and Clinitest hCG cassettes, eliminating the problems associated with subjective interpretation of test results which would otherwise be read by eye.
"When the Clinitek Status first came out, everybody wanted one" says Jan Still, point of care testing manager for West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust.
"The big attraction for clinical staff is the ability to perform both types of test on a single 'walk-away' instrument which is not only designed to save them time but also prints out results which are unequivocal.
"From my point of view, being able to enter patient and user identities and potentially download this data to a computer is a huge advantage, and I can utilise passwords to 'lock out' untrained users." In West Hertfordshire's four hospitals, the Clinitek Status is gradually being rolled out to all departments which have, until now, been using its predecessor - the Clinitek 50 - for urine testing only.
"Clinical staff are keen to benefit from the additional instrument-read hCG testing facility provided by the Clinitek Status", comments Still.
"The Clinitek Status is even more robust than the Clinitek 50, and will have a major beneficial effect, diminishing possible user error." Her views are shared by Malcolm Russell, senior biomedical scientist in point of care at Derby Hospitals Trust.
Here, pregnancy testing is being standardised on the Clinitek Status throughout the city's two hospitals and in many GP practices.
"With the Clinitek Status, we no longer have any issues about how the test is read", he says.
"This is particularly important in the hospital environment where clinicians must avoid carrying out certain procedures on patients who are pregnant.
"The instrument is easy to use, and staff reaction to it has been favourable.
"We first introduced it in areas such as surgical assessment and X-ray where use of pregnancy testing is relatively light, before rolling it out to the Gynaecology wards and A+E.
"We have not experienced any major difficulties at all."
