Sickle cell and thalassaemia handbook for laboratories

Monograph

70 p.; 30 cm.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">This is the third edition of theLaboratory Handbook and updates the second edition which was published inSeptember 2009. It includes amendments and additions to the policies andguidance that have been made since then. In many cases this has simply meant ‘fine-tuning’some aspects where further clarification was required. In some cases policy hasbeen updated. Most of these updates have appeared on the screening programmewebsite and have been published in <em>Circulate</em>. Information for laboratories is regularly updated in the laboratoryupdate section of the screening website (sct.screening.nhs.uk/labupdates) and laboratoriesare encouraged to check this section frequently. It must be emphasised from thebeginning that the policies described relate to a screening programme andnot a diagnostic service. No screening programme can detect everyhaemoglobinopathy, i.e. have a diagnostic sensitivity of 100%, and therefore itis likely that a few cases will be missed. This must be borne in mind when counselingcouples about the effectiveness of screening.</span></p>