| Speakers: | (1) Dr. Laurel Thorlacius is the Medical Director of Clinical Biochemistry for Shared Health Manitoba. In this role, Dr. Thorlacius oversees all areas of clinical biochemistry, toxicology and biochemical genetics testing performed in hospitals across Manitoba. She has a special interest in emergency medicine, cardiac markers, patient centred testing, and quality. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba. (2) Dr. Natalie Landry is a Clinical Biochemist at Shared Health Manitoba, where she has taken on the role of Medical Lead for Point-of-Care Testing and Rural Core Laboratory Medicine. In this capacity, she is committed to advancing laboratory stewardship, optimizing clinical workflows, and promoting patient-centred healthcare in rural Manitoba. She has also been actively engaged in pre-analytics and utilization projects for Choosing Wisely Manitoba, as well as the Choosing Wisely STARS program at the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine. Drs. Landry and Thorlacius work province wide to support laboratory testing in Manitoba. In their respective roles, they have worked with the provincial Emergency Medicine program to develop standardized nurse-initiated order sets for the emergency departments in Manitoba, and this is an ongoing initiative. |
| Outline: | Laboratory testing is a key tool used in the Emergency Department for patient assessment and designation of acuity at triage. To aid with the flow of patients through the Emergency Department, nurse-initiated laboratory order sets were implemented in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), with gradual expansion to other sites in Manitoba. In this presentation, audits of the impacts of standardized nurse-initiated laboratory testing at triage will be discussed. Challenges and lessons learned relating to implementation of a provincial standard across various sites will also be reviewed. |
| Learning Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: (1) Explain the utility of nurse-initiated laboratory order sets in the Emergency Department. (2) Describe the challenges of standardization across specialized Emergency Departments. (3) Incorporate Choosing Wisely recommendations into practice in the Emergency Department. |
Course Content
Watch webcast (April 16, 2026)
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Quiz for PD credit (April 16, 2026)
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