80-year-old tested for party drug

Labtests mistakenly took a urine sample from a disabled 80-year-old woman to test for the illegal party drug Fantasy, her health clinic says.

Staff at Three Kings Accident & Medical Centre were flabbergasted when Auckland Hospital's laboratory phoned to ask if they really wanted the elderly diabetic tested for the drug.

The test was never done.

A doctor at the clinic, Robyn Theakston, said that while the woman was not put at risk by the mistake, "it shows that the person who went to that house-call for this 80-year-old lady and did a test for a drug of recreational abuse wasn't thinking".

"It's just another example of the inaccuracies that we are seeing, in this case a slightly amusing one - granny on Fantasy - but it shouldn't happen."

Dr Theakston, a regular critic of Labtests and the wife of a Diagnostic Medlab pathologist, has made a complaint about the case.

Her colleague and the woman's GP, Dr Ron Baker, said he had ordered a series of blood tests - but no urine test - including one called glycosylated haemoglobin, a measure of diabetes control. It is normally abbreviated HbA1c, but could conceivably be called GHB because Hb is the abbreviation for haemoglobin. One of the names for Fantasy is also GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate).

Dr Baker said he ordered "HbA1c". Labtests had subsequently sent him a copy of a company form listing the tests for the woman and it included "GHB". She was tested at home following Dr Baker's request for three-monthly home visits. He had sent the request on August 7 to Diagnostic Medlab, which was then still the monopoly provider of the region's community laboratory service.

The contract soon went to Labtests, but DML is, from Monday, about to take back 10 per cent of the workload because of ongoing problems at Labtests. Dr Baker requested the first home visit take place in late September. Labtests completed its takeover of the DML contract on September 7.

Labtests last night accused the Weekend Herald of being "sensationalist" by referring to Fantasy by its street name, when "gamma hydroxybutyrate" was the correct term.

Through a spokeswoman, the company confirmed the testing order date of August 7, saying at the time DML refused to provide Labtests details of patients receiving regular home visits, or the tests required by these patients.

Labtests had performed all tests requested by Dr Baker, the statement said.