News

Referrer newsletter: 30 September

In this issue you will find: Read the full newsletter here.

Referrer newsletter: 23 September 2024

In this issue you will find: Read the full newsletter here.

Removing AST from liver function panels

In many New Zealand Laboratories AST is no longer part of the liver function panel. To harmonise liver function testing (LFT) across all Awanui labs, from 1 October 2024 AST will no longer form part of the standard liver function test panel. However, AST will still be able to be requested separately as either a […]

HIV screening in pregnancy

> Transition from opt-in to opt-out HIV screening in pregnancy: A paradigm shift The approach to HIV screening in pregnancy has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, shifting from an opt-in model to an opt-out model. Awanui laboratories will also be following this approach, in keeping with a recent publication from Auckland and feedback […]

Changes to Testosterone requests

In order to clarify and harmonise ordering of testosterone requests across Awanui Labs, a change to the number of testosterone request options will be effective from 17th Sept 2024. These changes will have no impact on clinical management of patients but will make testosterone ordering simpler.The current multiple different total testosterone request options will be consolidated […]

Merging of duplicate requests

Awanui Labs has recently made an operational change to how we handle duplicate test requests and what this change may mean for you. Awanui Labs experiences a high degree of multiple requests for the same patients, a significant number of these requests are from different doctors within the same clinic. Currently when the patient presents […]

Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease is an immunological intestinal reaction to gluten in cereal causing the cells lining the small, intestine bowel to become damaged and inflamed. This is often found in people who are genetically predisposed to this condition. Coeliac disease in New ZealandAccording to international research, approximately 100,000 people across New Zealand have some form of coeliac […]