New technology set to improve quality and performance of COVID-19 testing

Peterborough, ON – Peterborough’s drive-through COVID-19 testing centre is the first in the province to implement new handheld devices to digitize COVID-19 lab requisitions – an important step forward in improving the quality and performance of end-to-end testing for patients, care providers and labs.

Working with Ontario Health, Peterborough County/City Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and the City of Peterborough have partnered to introduce handheld technology and barcoded labels for all COVID-19 tests done at the centre. Staff can now collect a patient’s information by scanning their health card and driver’s license, capturing everything needed for a digital lab requisition.

The drive-through testing centre implemented the handheld devices on Wednesday, September 2, and in the first five days of use, 1523 people were scanned. The benefits include:

  • More complete and higher-quality data when capturing patient information
  • Faster processing and easier matching of the requisition to the test
  • More legible requisitions, making it easier for laboratory staff to process each test

The drive-through clinic’s final day of operations at Kinsmen Civic Centre was Friday, September 4. On Tuesday, September 8, the testing clinic was relocated to Northcrest Arena. Operating hours continue to be 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

The drive-through testing centre is led by Peterborough Paramedics with support from PRHC, PPH and the City of Peterborough. When coming to the clinic to be tested, bring your Ontario Health Card and driver’s license with you if you have them. You can access your testing results using your Ontario Health Card number on the provincial online portal at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/ or by calling your healthcare provider.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit https://www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/. Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.

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For more information:

Michelene Ough, Director, Communications, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, mough@prhc.on.ca

Craig Jones, Superintendent Community Projects & Emergency Management, Peterborough County/City Paramedics, CJones@ptbocounty.ca

Brittany Cadence, Communications Manager, Peterborough Public Health, bcadence@peterboroughpublichealth.ca

Brendan Wedley, Manager of Communication Services, City of Peterborough, bwedley@peterborough.ca