COVIDTestWA helping Western Australians receive PCR results faster

With COVID-19 caseloads climbing to record highs in our community, the process at COVID-19 testing clinics remains instrumental for achieving the most accurate test results and helps to best ensure the safety and wellbeing of Western Australians.

To assist Western Australians receive their PCR results efficiently as testing numbers increase, HSS and PathWest have streamlined the PCR testing process with COVIDTestWA, a safe and secure pre-registration system that enables upfront capture of patient information prior to PCR testing.

The system was developed by HSS to minimise manual intervention and data entry during PCR sample collection and processing, leading to reduced turnaround times.

HSS COVID-19 Program Manager, Melissa Harika, managed the development and ongoing support of COVIDTestWA with her team. She said the newly implemented system has had a significant impact on testing facilities as demand escalates.

“We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from clinics across WA about the system, reporting it has significantly improved sample data processing and operational workflow,” Melissa said.

“The integrated system only takes 30 seconds to process PCR registration information, a significant improvement from previous procedures which took more than triple that amount of time. As a result, people are receiving their test results faster than ever despite the recent demand increase and clinics have been able to redirect resources into other areas of need.”

A/General Manager COVID-19 Pre-Analytical Operations at PathWest, Rebecca Wake, implemented the system at PathWest. She praised HSS’ success in developing COVIDTestWA and the advantages it has brought to lab integration and the community.

“COVIDTestWA has streamlined the information collection process and decreased the effort needed to register samples in the laboratory. The PathWest COVID-19 Command Centre has seen a noticeable decrease in calls for results across five testing sites, showing how accessible and robust the system is throughout the PCR testing process, from taking samples at the testing facility to notifying people of their results,” Rebecca said.

“The HSS team was fabulous to collaborate with, showing great teamwork from a variety of stakeholders. They were eager to help and assist with issues which have come up and were pivotal during the development and implementation stages of the project.”

COVIDTestWA is fully operational at the Murdoch Drive Through Clinic, Rockingham, Armadale, Sir Charles Gairdner and Royal Perth Hospitals, Joondalup Health Campus and Midland Health Campus. Fiona Stanley Hospital testing site is scheduled to go live over the coming weeks.