Collaborating for Care Around-the-Clock

When patients come to the hospital, there’s only one thing on their minds: getting the care they need. What they may not realise is the intricate dance happening behind the scenes from the moment samples are taken for testing. Each day, thousands of samples flow through the CGH laboratory for processing by a dedicated team of laboratory scientists, technologists, and technicians, who work around the clock to ensure timely, accurate results, that can make the difference between life and death.

At the heart of this is a partnership between Laboratory Medicine Senior Consultant Dr Tan Si Huei and Medical Laboratory Scientist Lee Yu Ting. Together, they've transformed how urgent laboratory requests are handled, showing how combining different viewpoints leads to meaningful improvements in processes for enhanced patient care.

Their collaboration began when they identified opportunities to improve awareness of urgent laboratory requests. Through careful observation of workflows in the clinical care areas and laboratory, they recognised that processes could be streamlined to better serve both clinicians and the laboratory care team.

"We wanted to ensure that doctors were aware of the contact points for urgent test requests, especially after office hours," explains Yu Ting. "With thousands of samples flowing through the lab daily, we saw a need for clearer communications on urgent lab test requests so we could respond in a timely manner when something needed immediate attention."

Dr Tan saw this as a chance to strengthen existing processes. 

What followed was months of discussions and re-discussions on workflows to improve urgent test request processes. Dr Tan met with clinical department heads to understand the doctors' perspective, while Yu Ting provided crucial insights from the laboratory floor.

“There was never a suggestion too slight to consider. Yu Ting's on-the-ground experience was invaluable, “ says Dr Tan.

The solution was not new protocols — it was enhancing understanding of the different points in the patient care journey. Yu Ting explains, "We wanted to help doctors understand our operations better. When doctors order a test on our system, it should be clear what the next steps are. This way, we could process tests and serve patients more effectively."

Yu Ting’s daily work exemplifies the complexity of modern laboratory operations. Beyond running diagnostic tests, she troubleshoots equipment, trains new or junior colleagues, and makes critical decisions about unusual or discrepant test findings.

"When something urgent comes up and there's no pre-established protocol, we need to think on our feet and draw on our experience to make quick decisions and adapt," shares Yu Ting, who has been with CGH for 10 years. “That's when experience and teamwork really matter.

"The improvements they implemented have had tangible effects on patient care and clinical decision-making, evident particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when testing capabilities for the virus had to be launched and deployed rapidly.

"The initial phase involved intensive calibration, validation and staff training under enormous time pressure, but at the same time, speed could not come at the expense of accuracy," Dr Tan recalls. "The dual goals of rapid turnaround for test processing and analytical precision of results became our central focus against the backdrop of an extremely high volume of test requests. The improved workflows enabled clinical teams to confirm infections early, initiate appropriate therapy, and implement swift isolation measures to prevent further transmission."

Yu Ting finds deep meaning in knowing their work supports patient outcomes.

Their partnership continues to evolve, with both constantly seeking ways to improve processes and support their colleagues. Yu Ting recently revamped an entire workflow system, moving manual paper documentation to streamlined digital processes that make information more accessible to the team.

"Effective healthcare is not the product of individual expertise alone, but of cohesive and respectful teamwork," Dr Tan reflects. "The real value of our work lies not just in identifying abnormal results, but in applying our knowledge as a team to enhance care and improve the lives of our patients and the wider community."

In a hospital that never sleeps, their partnership represents something larger — an entire clinical laboratory team working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that critical laboratory services continue seamlessly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week — all for the patients who depend on them.

Learn more about Yu Ting's role as a Medical Laboratory Scientist at the CGH Laboratory, and how her work impacts patient care here.