At Reproclinic we are committed to security with our Witness system - Reproclinic
committed to security with our Witness system-reproclinic

At Reproclinic we are committed to security with our Witness system

At Reproclinic we are committed to security with our Witness system In our assisted reproduction clinic, safety and excellence are essential aspects, which must perfectly represent the way we work and the results we offer in each project. Behind every patient there is a story, an effort, an overcoming, an illusion and a dream. For this reason, we must reduce to zero the possibilities of error in our laboratory, have all the processes under control, and reduce the levels of anxiety and uneasiness that patients or couples may suffer when undergoing assisted reproduction treatment. How do we do this? With the Witness system, which we will explain in more detail below.

In an ART laboratory, it is essential to be able to properly identify each patient’s semen, egg or embryo samples, as well as which biologist is involved in each process or which material or culture medium is being used at any given moment. As a result of this need and the demand for exhaustive control in these spaces, this system was created as an innovative tool to safely identify each sample from each patient.

committed to security with our Witness system-coded card-reproclinicBut what makes this system one of the most demanded and innovative in the sector? It is a computer system that prevents the samples of patients who are currently undergoing assisted reproduction treatment from being confused and coinciding in the same place and at the same time with those of another patient. Thus, when the patient starts the process, she receives a coded card with her data and those of her partner, if applicable, from the beginning.

From that moment on, each step to be performed, such as ovarian puncture and follicular fluid collection, semen sample collection and processing, any change of gametes or embryos from one culture dish to another one, etc., must be coded using this card, and all culture material or media, as well as all the personnel who act at any given moment, are also registered in the system. This is possible because each container (culture plate or test tube) will be identified with a radiofrequency tag (RFID), a microchip that is activated when it approaches a reader located in our laboratory, in the operating theatre and in the work area, all culture media is entered into the system with its batch number and expiry date, and its use at each precise moment and the personnel is also registered. But how do you avoid cross-referencing samples from several patients? A computer will ratify the couple’s or patient’s information and only allow the use of the couple’s or woman’s gametes.

If a human error is going to happen during some procedure, the Witness system will instantly send an acoustic and visual alarm to the staff who are running the process at that moment preventing it to happen. In addition, it will block any subsequent action that may be taken avoiding the errors to produce.

Trust, quality and excellence, three aspects that differentiate us from other clinics, and we achieve this thanks to innovative systems such as the Witness system.

Every step that is carried out in our clinic is done safely, not only with the confirmation of our professionals, but also through this type of system that allows no mistakes to be made. It is one more step towards quality and safety in treatments.

Witness in times of pandemic

This system has also been a great tool since the pandemic came into our lives. Until now, biologists worked in pairs to perform these checks manually, with one biologist processing the sample and the other acting as the controller. However, the arrival of Covid-19 has reduced the number of professionals who can work together in a single space, or work more individually or at a distance from the team. However, thanks to this innovative technology, it is now possible to work independently in complete safety, guaranteeing that all witnessing requirements are met and absolute traceability of all procedures, both at the level of personnel (who performs them) and at the level of culture media and materials used.

This system was born in 2007 to prevent possible errors and to help manage the tasks of an IVF laboratory correctly, controlled by a great team of biologists. Therefore, in our laboratory we work under the regulations of the country of origin and destination!

For us, biosafety is paramount!