The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection rates may have peaked in late October, but the pandemic flu virus continues to be a potential source of illness in all age groups, including the elderly, according to a new report by Quest Diagnostics Inc. In its most recent Quest Diagnostics Health Trends Report, ''Testing for H1N1 in America,'' Quest ...

(Editor's note: This is a guest blog written by Valerie M. Chapman, RN, MSN, a pediatric nurse for 25 years. She is a 3-year breast cancer survivor and lives in Medford, NJ, with her husband and two children.) I am a wife, a mother of two awesome kids, a daughter, a sister, and a nurse. I am also a  survivor. At the age of 43 a ...

Acknowledging healthcare reform has been controversial would definitely be an understatement. Almost everywhere I've traveled lately I've heard highly emotional and passionate positions for both sides of the debate. This past weekend, a large group of supporters stood on a corner holding handmade signs with messages like, ''Healthcare for ...

About a month ago, I was visiting with my sister. During our conversation, she brought up that her boyfriend had swine flu. I was concerned for him (and, additionally, for her) but also intrigued because he was the first person I knew who had H1N1. Working for a healthcare magazine, I've read a lot about H1N1 and I bombarded Emily with ...

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Raritan, NJ, announced today FDA approval of a diagnostic assay for the detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) types 1+2 (Anti-HIV 1+2) for use on the VITROS 5600 Integrated and VITROS 3600 Immunodiagnostic Systems. This is the first HIV diagnostic assay approved for an integrated system in ...

It wouldn't surprise me if most laboratories have more written procedures than all other departments of the hospital combined -- shelves of them in worn, bursting binders. Printed or scanned, that's a lot of writing. And I'll bet the procedures are all comprehensive, detailed, and referenced. CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) ...

Of course we've all heard about the impending outbreaks of H1N1...  Is your lab prepared?  Is your community prepared?  The information out there seems to be changing and updating constantly, so who's to say if anyone is truly prepared.  Honestly, I'm a little worried that lack of communication combined with people's need to go ...

bioMérieux, an in vitro diagnostics company, heightened its role in the fight against antimicrobial resistance by launching its Solutions to Manage the Antimicrobial Resistance Threat (SMART) Campaign at the 49th Annual Interscience Conference for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) event in San Francisco. bioMerieux's SMART Campaign ...

As we approach the flu season there are lots of questions about influenza testing and  horror stories about a looming epidemic or pandemic. Patients are flooding doctors' offices and emergency departments, and clinicians are demanding widescale testing; often unwarranted, but driven by patient demand or even hysteria. Some emergency rooms ...

 Back in 1989, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) issued a firm algorithm for diagnosing HIV; an algorithm that is still in use today as the gold standard. The patient is tested with a preliminary enzyme immunoassay (EIA) screening test. If the result is ...