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Vancouver General Implements WASP®: Walk-Away Specimen Processor

Copan WASP Installed at Vancouver General Hospital

Copan Diagnostics Inc. have announced the first installation of WASP®: Walk-Away Specimen Processor in Canada at Vancouver General Hospital. Copan WASP®: Walk-Away Specimen Processor is a revolutionary system for automatic planting and streaking microbiology samples.

The breakthrough technology behind the WASP, coupled with Copan ESwab, the only liquid transport swab system, make the WASP the first instrument of its kind to use a single universal platform to automatically plant and streak most bacteriology specimens, including swabs, urine and fecal samples, regardless of the specimen's container style or specimen type.

Diane Roscoe, MD, who heads the Vancouver General Hospital's Medical Microbiology and Infection Control Division, stated that the 'hospital, as part of Vancouver Coastal Health, strives to achieve an effective and seamless healthcare system. The addition of the first WASP to the microbiology laboratory is an important innovation that allows it to continue to provide excellent service to an expanded regional microbiology laboratory, improving throughput capacity while maintaining consistency.'

Because of the instrument's versatility, its addition to the Microbiology Division at Vancouver General Hospital is aligned with the region's overall values. Serving a population of over a million people, Vancouver Coastal Health values include a focus on effectiveness, efficiency, and best practices, as well as a commitment to provide outstanding service and respond to patients' needs in a timely and innovative manner.

Judy Reid, the Vancouver Coastal Health Microbiology Regional Technical Specialist, expressed her excitement for the new addition of the WASP to the laboratory. She agreed with Dr. Roscoe in asserting that the WASP will contribute to the hospital's goal of providing superior service in a timely manner and will help meet the growing demand for microbiology testing. Reid added that by automating the planting and streaking process using WASP, the hospital 'frees up scarce staff resources to perform more subjective analysis that bring greater clinical value; the WASP robotic system takes care of the repetitive tasks to minimize ergonomic issues, and it standardizes the entire processing step since the system handles each specimen the same whether it is early in the morning or at midnight.'

Norman Sharples, Copan Diagnostics' Executive VP, said that Copan Diagnostics is 'pleased with the placement of the first WASP in Canada at Vancouver General Hospital and is looking forward to working with the strong team of talented professionals at the hospital.' Sharples concluded that 'the use of the new technology behind the WASP will continue to enhance automation in microbiology departments in different countries and result in the highest quality of healthcare service possible to every patient.'

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Source : Copan Diagnostics, Inc. View Company Information

Posted on April 13, 2009