Lab Matters Fall 2020 | Page 19

APHL Model Opioids Biosurveillance Strategy for Public Health Practice

The APHL Opioids Biosurveillance Task Force ( OBTF ) has outlined guidance for public health laboratories at various stages of designing , implementing and evaluating opioids biosurveillance programs . Topics covered include laboratory testing , data sharing and stakeholder collaboration . Laboratories are strongly encouraged to share and discuss this guidance closely with clinicians , epidemiologists and others involved in opioids biosurveillance in their jurisdictions .

Fundamentals of Fentanyl Safety in Public Health Laboratory Settings

As the laboratory role in opioids biosurveillance continues to expand , public health laboratories are encouraged to use and apply core occupational health & safety and risk minimization principles to ensure safe clinical sample accessioning , processing and handling procedures in the laboratory . This document discusses the fundamentals with an emphasis on the prevention and handling of exposure to fentanyl and related analogues .