To gauge demand for lab automation, bioMerieux, Inc. conducted a survey during the recent American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) General Meeting. More than 75 percent of respondents said they planned to add new microbiology lab automation solutions to their laboratories within the next year.
Laboratories are becoming increasingly short staffed with a severe skilled-labor issue in the microbiology domain. Labs are working to become more efficient and implement options for streamlining operations and reducing costs, while coping with increasing workload volumes and the demand for faster results from clinicians. The role of lab automation has become increasingly important. The key factors that were cited as important when selecting an automated solution: accuracy, standardization, improved workflow and productivity, decreased transcription errors and traceability for auditing purposes.
Survey respondents indicated that the main reasons for looking at automated solutions include faster turnaround time. Labor savings from excessive overtime and improved test-result accuracy tied for second place. In addition, over 70 percent of respondents indicated they would shift employee focus away from labor-intensive tasks to more sophisticated responsibilities if they had more automated solutions.
SOURCE: bioMerieux, Inc.
