Please review “Our Services” or the “A-Z” of tests for a full breakdown of services and tests offered by Enfer Medical. If you cannot locate a service/test that you require, or if you have a tailored test request requirement, please contact us to discuss.
Enfer Medical welcomes service users from a variety of healthcare facilities including public and private hospital laboratories, general practitioners, clinicians and healthcare providers throughout Ireland.
To become a registered service user please contact our commercial team at +353 (0) 45 819 000 or alternatively by email at commercial@enfermedical.ie who will take you through the client onboarding process.
For general information/queries please contact the Client Services Team at +353 (0) 45 819 000 who are available to address your queries from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Sunday. Alternatively, please email the Team using one of the following email addresses:
For general queries: generalqueries@enfermedical.ie
A clinical advisory service is available for healthcare professionals and includes advice on interpretation of individual patient results and appropriate patient management pathways. For queries relating to results, urgent test requests and clinical advice please contact the Client Services Team at +353 (0) 45 819 000 who will direct your call to the relevant team member.
Please note that Enfer Medical does not communicate results directly to members of the public, results are only provided to a referring clinician or healthcare provider.
Once established as a client/service user of Enfer Medical, clients will be provided with access to the Enfer Medical Client Portal where they can request specific tests and where they can also access their result notifications.
It is essential that Patient Request Forms are correctly and fully labelled, to include at least three unique patient identifiers. Clients using the Enfer Medical Customer Portal will be prompted to supply this information and the Patient Request Form will be generated from within the portal.
The information included in the Patient Request Form should include (but not limited to):
- First name, Surname, Date of birth, Hospital/Clinic number, Medical Record Number (MRN) (examples of patient identifiers)
- Time and date of collection of samples
- Type of sample and anatomical site, where appropriate (e.g. swabs)
- Relevant clinical information
- The full postal address of the requesting authority
- A contact telephone number
- A contact name, or consultant name where possible
Samples should be labelled with at least three unique patient identifiers. Examples of unique patient identifies include: First name, Surname, Date of birth, Hospital/Clinic number, Medical Record Number (MRN).
To ensure unequivocal identification, samples and Patient Request Forms MUST contain the minimum essential identification criteria. If sufficient information is not provided to ensure unequivocal traceability, samples may be rejected without analysis or referred back to the requesting practitioner.
In circumstances where an urgent result is required for immediate patient management the laboratory is happy to prioritise testing. Urgent test requests should be made by telephone and by encrypted email to a member of the clinical team: clinicalqueries@enfermedical.ie.
Sample Collection:
Samples should be collected and stored as outlined in the sample collection/storage requirements for each test.
The packaging/preparation of samples for delivery to the laboratory are required to be in adherence to all national regulations for the safe transport of biological materials. HSE guidance can be reviewed HERE.
There are specific packaging instructions and labelling requirements requiring triple packaging including:
- Primary leak-proof container – tube or vial containing the sample.
- Secondary water-tight container, with absorbent material, intended to protect the primary container.
- Outer container protects the secondary container.
Patient Request Forms must be placed between the secondary container and the outer shipping container.
Please note: further information on the packaging/preparation of samples for delivery to the laboratory is contained within the Enfer Medical Laboratory User Manual which registered service users are provided with.
Prompt transport of specimens:
In addition to the packaging of samples, the transport/delivery of clinical samples to the laboratory is required to be in adherence to all national regulations for the safe transport of biological materials. Enfer Medical provides a fully compliant logistics service, aligned with clients’ testing requirements.
To ensure prompt testing of samples and release of results within the published test turnaround times, samples should arrive to the laboratory by 18:00. Test turnaround time is measured from the time of receipt of the sample at the laboratory until the time the authorised results are reported to service users.
Enfer Medical does not accept samples suspected of containing Category A infectious substances.
The majority of samples received in the laboratory are kept for one month unless otherwise stated. If sample type and volume allow, further testing can be requested by telephone +353 (0) 45 819 000 and by encrypted email to clinicalqueries@enfermedical.ie. Please do not send any patient identifiable information in an unencrypted format.
Please specify the test details to be added, together with your request for specific further analysis. Clinical and/or laboratory staff will advise on the ability to undertake further testing from samples already received in the laboratory. Additional critical test requests should be made by telephone to a member of the clinical team.
Please refer to the sample collection guidance for each test to ensure that it arrives to our laboratory in the correct format to ensure the optimal performance of the testing procedures. Clients can refer to the User Manual which is provided to them once registered as a service user.
The results obtained for testing of samples is based upon the quality of the sample(s) as they are received at the laboratory. It is the service user responsibility that samples which are sent to Enfer Medical arrive safely and securely in a prompt manner.
In rare cases samples may not be suitable for testing on arrival to the laboratory. In that case the sample will be rejected at the receipt stage and the service user will be notified immediately and an explanation as to why the sample could not be processed will be provided. Reasons why samples cannot be processed include but are not limited to:
- Samples received beyond the stability limits and/or not at the correct temperature indicated for each test.
- Incorrect sample type received.
- Leaking samples, sample not received or sample insufficient for analysis as stated below within sample requirements.
- Non-compliant samples or request forms i.e. those missing sample date information, missing sample test request and/or missing sample site/type information.
- Samples received without the necessary patient identifiers.
Enfer Medical is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information of its service users and patients. In the course of their work our staff are required to collect and use certain types of information about people, including ‘personal data’ as defined by the Data Protection Act 2018. The service user has a responsibility to ensure that this personal data is:
- Obtained fairly.
- Recorded correctly, kept accurate and up to date.
- Used and shared both appropriately and legally.
- Stored securely.
- Not disclosed to unauthorised third parties.
- Disposed of appropriately when no longer required.
All staff working at Enfer Medical are required under the Data Protection Act 2018 to ensure the security and confidentiality of all personal data they process on behalf of service users and patients. Data Protection rights apply whether the personal data is held in electronic format or in a manual or paper-based form. All samples received are treated in the strictest confidence and are anonymised upon receipt into the laboratory.
Laboratory results should be reported to the referring clinician within the published test turnaround times for a particular test.
Results can be provided on the Enfer Medical Client Portal or via specific interfaces requested by clients. Enfer Medical’s IT and Technical Team facilitate the implementation of best practice processes for the smooth, efficient, and secure interfaces with clients.