OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.67 2006-11
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INDEX
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The PK7100 - The Result of Information-Sharing communication between
medical technologists and the Development Team
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At last there was progress toward the development of a usable system.
What challenges were there along the way?
One of the issues raised by the medical technologists concerned responsibility for any errors in the results of tests carried out using the system. Any error in tests performed manually by a medical technologist is obviously the responsibility of the medical technologist. But who takes responsibility for errors made by a machine?
That's a very difficult question.
Dr. Sekiguchi responded that the system was essentially a tool used by people to support part of the testing work, and that the medical technologists would be ultimately responsible for the test results. As a representative of the manufacturer, it seemed to me that those words had saved us. Dr. Sekiguchi also said that they wanted to use the system in optimal condition at all times, and that if any problems occurred, Olympus must immediately rectify them.
The directive to use the system to automate testing came from Dr. Sekiguchi, the most senior person in the Hokkaido Center. It was my task to mobilize the medical technologists in the laboratory. Before we could automate testing, the medical technologists first had to learn to trust the system. In this sense, it was highly significant we were able to focus our efforts on the improvement of the system in partnership with the manufacturer.
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Microplates and Agglutination
A microplate (shown on the right in the photograph) is a transparent reaction vessel used in agglutination testing. Blood and reagents are placed in wells measuring about 6mm in diameter, and the resulting agglutination patterns are read optically. Olympus developed its own microplates by modifying characteristics of well floor, including grooving and depth, to allow clear identification of agglutinated and non-agglutinated patterns.
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| Agglutinated pattern |
Non-agglutinated pattern |
Mecial technologists, the core of the Hokkaido Center's work force, were brought to the Olympus facility in Tokyo's Hatagaya district for training. They began by learning the knowledge and technology required to dismantle and reassemble the system and maintain it themselves. Olympus meanwhile sent many of its design and development staff to Hokkaido. Direct access to the views of those working with the system helped them to make improvements. The experience also appears to have been very stimulating for them. One designer told me that he looked forward to visits to Hokkaido because he learned so much there. Enhancements made in the testing laboratory resulted in a system that actually exceeded the original performance specifications set down by the designers.
I understand that some Olympus employees spent months in Hokkaido.
One male employee in his second year with Olympus was there for seven months. He reported that the Hokkaido Center staff had kindly and patiently taught him the basics of transfusion testing, starting with the way to shake a test tube. He was later able to use that experience when he worked on the development of subsequent models. What this shows is that there was excellent communication between the user and the manufacturer.
I think it's significant that you began by developing the human resources. But why did such a close and cooperative relationship evolve between Olympus and the Hokkaido Center?
A key reason was the fact that everyone at the Hokkaido Center, from top management down to laboratory workers, felt that they could not leave the development of the system that they needed solely to the manufacturer. For their part, the Olympus staff were prepared to listen and learn. One side threw the ball; the other caught it.
Enhancements to the PK7000 resulted in the development of the PK7100. The Hokkaido Center was the first to use this system for blood typing, and to start a formal program of automation for the detection of infectious virus markers, including HBs antibodies. The PK7100 was subsequently adopted at blood centers throughout Japan.
Olympus was not the only company to receive a warm welcome. Then as now, the Red Cross is ready to work with anyone who proposes new concepts.
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