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National Pathology Week 2010

Monday 1st - Sunday 7th November 2010

National Pathology Week 2009

Monday 2nd - Saturday 7th November 2009

National Pathology Week 2008

Download Events List Report (98 KB)

**NEW** - ACB EVENTS ROUND-UP

Trainee Clinical Biochemists across the country were busy promoting the role of the Clinical Scientist and below are some highlights from the week, giving us a great boost to our public profile and appealing to all age groups.

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Here events kicked off with a Pathology-themed Grand Round featuring an audit on appropriate requesting of CSF cytology (the 'formal' bit) and a interactive Pathology quiz using instant voting pads (the 'fun' bit!). We also held displays in the Main Entrance of the hospital all week using a plasma screen to show a video of "The journey of a blood sample and a biopsy sample" which we filmed in our hospital in collaboration with Warwick Medical School.

Information Stand at Coventry University Hospital

A poster display was also produced aimed at the public, explaining investigations carried out in common conditions (eg aneamia, chronic kidney disease) and also introducing the public to the research environment and how important it is that patients are willing to participate in clinical trials.

On Thursday of NPW they held demonstrations and stands in the Main Entrance atrium. Haematology and histopathology slides were examined in real time with the microscope view projected onto a large TV screen so that the public could watch and have the significance of the findings explained to them. This was very popular and effective! The blood transfusion nurses had a stand, and there was a general pathology information stand using the leaflets and 'freebies' provided by the College and the ACB, manned by trainee Biochemists. They also did demonstrations of 'clinitest' urine sugar testing there too, with the public interested in the colour-change and exothermic reaction. [Really, serial dilutions of apple juice were used, but the effect is the same as with urine!]

RUGBY – St CROSS DISTRICT HOSPITAL

A stand for NPW was held in the outpatients department at the small district hospital at Rugby, called St Cross. Leaflets were left in the phlebotomy waiting area and with the volunteer helpers for them to distribute to the public as and when they were needed.

UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
A stand was placed in the outpatients department consisting of posters from each department (microbiology, virology, immunology, histopathology, biochemistry, haematology and blood bank), the “what happens to my sample?” stand from the West Midlands ACB and enthusiastic staff from the various disciplines. There were plenty of promotional leaflets and freebies (pens, pencils, badges etc.) as supplied by the college, the ACB, ‘labtestsonline’ and sense about science. Histopathology brought a microscope with some slides and a few pictures. Microbiology brought plates and sample collection vessels. Biochemistry brought a glucose monitor and mock blood to demonstrate the components of blood (cells and plasma).

Other events within the North Staffordshire hospital included a lunchtime seminar for GPs with talks from all disciplines regarding the use of the service and how to avoid common errors, stressing the need for clinical details. This was organised by Hazel Hutton and was well received. Katie Berger organised a tour for AS-Level Students from two local education establishments. These tours went down well and were probably the most successful of the events with lots of enthusiasm from the students.

EDINBURGH – National Museum of Scotland
Four laboratory disciplines came together to engaged the public with an interactive look at what goes on in the labs. Kids could dress up as a laboratory scientist and families were invited to look at pathology sections, blood films, identify diabetic samples by point of care testing and see how good they were at washing their hands. The day was a big success and the willing volunteers from the lab were certainly put to work. We were encouraged by the enthusiasm we got from the public, young and old.

GLASGOW – Glasgow Science Centre
Kevin Deans promoted National Pathology Week on local radio station, Revival FM. He gave a very interesting overview of National Pathology Week and its aims, and extended a very enthusiastic welcome to come along and join the fun. Posters were spotted in hospitals across Central Scotland and with support from the media relations team, the local media were invited along.

Four laboratories were set up, two aimed at kids (complete with appropriately sized lab coats!) and two for adults. For the kids, there was the opportunity to do ‘real science’ and measure the glucose concentrations of dilutions of regular and ‘no added sugar’ soft drinks in order to determine the difference in sugar content between these. The kids were able to use the meters to measure the concentration of the dilutions, and then follow a worksheet to calculate the sugar concentration of juice as they would drink it.

While the kids were busy experimenting, there was the opportunity for Mums and Dads to have their cholesterol measured. This was conducted by a trained Healthcare Scientist or medic using a point of care meter. Information sheets were provided, and written consent obtained. Advice on follow-up was given, and recommendations for formal laboratory testing through a GP, where appropriate. This was very popular and queues were quick to form.

HALIFAX - Eureka Science Museum

Over 250 school children attended this interactive science museum on 6th November 2008 and we enlisted the help of many children to help us diagnose disease in our “patients”. They were using dipstick analysis on “urine” samples, watching for colour changes in chemical reactions, peering down microscopes, identifying microbes and generally having fun!

What bugs does Mr Roberts have? By delving (on occasions head first!) into a big box the children we able to find giant microbes and then had to identify them against pictures and descriptions of the actual micro-organism. The favourite comment of the day was when we asked a child what a rhinovirus did and they replied “charge”! Only after we had congratulated him on his brilliant guess were we able to explain that this bug doesn’t share any characteristics with the rhinoceros, but is actually the cause of the common cold. What is wrong with the urine sample from Mrs Smith? Using dipstick analysis the children were able to determine that Mrs Smith had lots of sugar in her wee and that she had diabetes. These are just 2 examples of the ways in which children we able to interact, they had a lot of enthusiasm for the projects and were interested to find out more about what scientists do. A fun day was had by all who participated and children, guardians, teachers and staff at the museum went away with a better idea of what pathology is all about.

What happens to my Blood Sample

Download a copy of the new leaflet What happens to my Blood Sample below:

Download What happens to my Blood Sample leaflet (386 KB)

Information requests

If you would like more information please go to the NPW website at www.nationalpathologyweek.org. Or you can contact the RCPath organisers caroline.shaw@rcpath.org and ruth.semple@rcpath.org, or the ACB’s team - Joe O’Meara Government.Officer@acb.org.uk, Katy Cooper chair.traineecom@acb.org.uk and Gilbert Wieringa Gilbert.Wieringa@christie.nhs.uk