Clinical laboratory automation: Key considerations for your lab
Learn all about what it takes to achieve a fully automated clinical laboratory, as well as pre-purchase considerations with our clinical laboratory automation guide
31 Aug 2022Editorial article
Clinical laboratories of today are faced with increasing challenges, from staffing shortages to limitations in workflow caused by low-throughput processes. These issues and the gradual affordability of automotive systems have funneled laboratory diagnostics into a new age of clinical laboratory automation.
The shift is not without its challenges, however, with effective management, clinical laboratories are realizing the benefits of automation.
In this clinical laboratory automation guide, we look at how the automation of laboratory processes can be achieved using cutting-edge technology and principles such as Lean Six Sigma.
What is clinical laboratory automation?
Laboratory automation refers to the use of instrumentation to perform streamlined laboratory processes, requiring minimal human input.
Laboratory automated solutions eliminate or do away with the tedious elements of laboratory processing, which have typically been performed manually by clinical scientists or lab technicians. Increasing technology advances have gone further to provide automated solutions to more complex processes, effectively allowing the automation of whole workflows.
What are the benefits of clinical laboratory automation?
When done correctly, an automated laboratory can bring a whole host of benefits to an entire workflow. Some of the key benefits of clinical laboratory automation include:
- Increased productivity – repetitive and time-consuming tasks are a thing of the past with automation. Lab staff can instead focus their time and energy on higher-level priorities while leaving manual operations such as sample labeling to robots.
- Reduction in human error – tedious and repetitive tasks in a manual laboratory often cause several human errors. Automating tasks such as pipetting precise quantities of samples and data recording can ensure the accurate and error-free reporting of results.
- Reduction in costs – laboratory automation can reduce the dependency of lab technicians, resulting in cost savings. Aside from productivity, waste can be reduced as automated robots are more accurate and efficient in using reagents.
- Highly customizable – laboratory automation systems can be customized to suit the needs of a lab, maximizing workflow efficiency.
What are the different types of clinical laboratory automation?
The clinical laboratory automation guide details the different types and processes of automation that laboratory managers can utilize in their facilities. Each automation system is chosen for individual laboratories based on their demand and workflow.
Open vs closed automation systems
The preference for open or closed systems is a major consideration that lab managers must keep in mind, as each type can bring benefits and drawbacks depending on individual laboratories. An open automation system utilizes analyzers from different manufacturers, allowing laboratories to customize their tracks depending on their individual needs. A closed automation system uses analyzers that only work with equipment that are manufactured by the same company.
Total laboratory automation
The extent of automation in a laboratory can vary depending on the size and type of the laboratory. Some laboratories may favor a partial automation approach, where a selection of tasks is performed by robots while the rest are performed manually.
Conversely, an emerging trend is the gradual transformation of a laboratory to implement total laboratory automation (TLA), where tasks are unified on a single track. TLA presents the opportunity to achieve maximum efficiency for your lab. The clinical laboratory automation guide discusses this approach in detail, as it covers the methods and products required to achieve TLA.
How can Lean Six Sigma be applied to clinical laboratory automation?
A key management strategy covered in the clinical laboratory automation guide is the concept of Lean Six Sigma. This philosophy has been employed to great success in many different industries, and the story is no different when it comes to lab automation. A laboratory that incorporates Lean Six Sigma into its automation is one that is focused on delivering the most efficient results, both in terms of cost and speed. The clinical laboratory automation guide equips lab managers with important Lean Six Sigma principles, such as the elimination of waste and the improvement of flow.
Learn all about these principles and the steps you need to take to transform your lab into an automated utopia with our free downloadable clinical laboratory automation guide. This guide is essential reading for all clinical laboratory staff, including clinical laboratory managers, laboratory scientists and laboratory directors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of total laboratory automation?
Potential advantages of total laboratory automation include lower running costs in the long term, decreased congestion in the lab, improved efficiency and sample management, and more efficient integration of test results. Potential disadvantages include higher costs in the short term, infrastructure constraints, greater risk of downtime and the creation of possible bottlenecks.
What is the importance of automation in clinical laboratories?
Laboratory automated solutions eliminate or do away with the tedious elements of laboratory processing, which have typically been performed manually by clinical scientists or lab technicians. Increasing technology advances have gone further to provide automated solutions to more complex processes, effectively allowing the automation of whole workflows.
What is the definition of total laboratory automation?
Total laboratory automation (TLA) is the integration of automated analyzers onto a single track, such that specimens are processed and tested with minimal human input