SPECTra at Bradford: Migrating from paper procedures to electronic efficiency
10 October 2024
At a glance
> Bradford Teaching Hospitals have chosen LabLogic’s SPECTra Laboratory Information Management System to manage its radiopharmacy.
> In our latest video, Quality Lead Olivia Boustead outlines the challenges radiopharmacists face by using increasingly outdated procedures and how SPECTra can address these.
> SPECTra is designed specifically to eliminate human error in SPECT radiotracer production and supersede time-consuming paper-based methods.
The trouble with transcription
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has chosen LabLogic’s SPECTra to manage production of SPECT tracers in its radiopharmacy. During a recent visit by Bradford’s team to LabLogic’s head office for training, Quality Lead Olivia Boustead outlined the challenges faced by radiopharmacies which still relay on paper-based systems, and how SPECTra can address these.
The radiopharmacy’s current paper processes are heavily reliant on manual transcription for critical information such as batch numbers, expiration dates, consumables, and materials. Transcription errors by users are one of the main challenges in such a working arrangement, and even quality checks can fail to identify and correct such errors.
Enhancing GMP compliance
SPECTra can automate the population of data through barcode scanning, allowing information of raw materials to be digitally uploaded. This both mitigates the risk of transcription errors and alleviates the responsibilities of the operators, allowing them to focus on other critical tasks. SPECTra can also be interfaced with instruments such as dose calibrators, providing the system with a direct reading of activity. Should the sample’s activity be too high or too low, SPECTra provides an immediate warning.
Olivia recognises the need to progress and said, “Moving forward in terms of the future of Radiopharmacy, it does need to move to more of an electronic approach. This will undoubtedly enhance our ability to produce safe, efficacious, and high-quality radiopharmaceuticals and strengthen GMP-compliance.”
Validation and qualification
LabLogic understands that many sites are hesitant about introducing a new system. Migrating to an electronic platform can be a challenge because of the necessary validation work involved, but we can provide the requisite qualification services and advice. We have experience validating Laboratory Information Management Systems in radiopharmacies all over the world and this experience is invaluable to users who have not experienced this before and are limited by time-constraints.
LabLogic can provide full IQ, OQ and PQ services with on-site visits to perform some of this work, making the customer’s experience with us much smoother and easier. By providing these services, customers can offset the common problems experienced by sourcing external consultants such as uncertain timescales and inflated costs. By guiding users through the implementation process, we can manage the digitisation and automation of quality control for radiopharmaceuticals through systems such as SPECTra.
Find out more
You can learn more about SPECTra by watching our latest video or clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly and requesting a guided demonstration.