Hospital staffing shortages resulting in reduction of in-city hematology testing

By KENDALL KING on August 13, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

Staffing shortages at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital’s laboratory are resulting in the reduction of in-city hematology testing for the next four months minimum.

In a Tuesday letter addressed to community physicians and clinical staff, Alberta Precision Laboratories stated routine complete blood count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate hematology samples collected at the Patient Care Centre on Carry Drive will, beginning Aug. 15, be forwarded to Calgary’s Diagnostic and Scientific Centre for testing.

In the letter, APL confirmed CBC and ESR tests “will have increased turn around time due to transportation.”

APL says the staffing shortage and subsequent decision to forward test samples will be assessed routinely in the coming months. APL declined to speak with the News directly when asked to comment on the decision, instead forwarding the request to AHS.

Alberta Health Services confirmed the letter’s contents Friday and provided the News with the following statement:

“The Medicine Hat Regional Hospital laboratory is currently experiencing staffing shortages. However APL has contingency plans in place to ensure there are no disruptions to patient care and to ensure lab results continue to be provided in a timely manner.

“By diverting these lab samples for testing to Calgary, we are ensuring the lab in MHRH has the capacity to process tests for patients in the hospital.”

AHS says laboratory recruitment efforts are already underway to fill positions reportedly created by “vacancies, medical leave of absences and training demands.”

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