title: Improving clinical laboratory efficiency: a time-motion evaluation of the Abbott m2000 RealTime and Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan PCR systems for the simultaneous quantitation of HIV-1 RNA and HCV RNA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diagnostic laboratories need automation that facilitates efficient processing and workflow management to meet today's challenges for expanding services and reducing cost, yet maintaining the highest levels of quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Processing efficiency of two commercially available automated systems for quantifying HIV-1 and HCV RNA, Abbott m2000 system and Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan 96 (docked) systems (CAP/CTM), was evaluated in a mid/high throughput workflow laboratory using a representative daily workload of 24 HCV and 72 HIV samples. Three test scenarios were evaluated: A) one run with four batches on the CAP/CTM system, B) two runs on the Abbott m2000 and C) one run using the Abbott m2000 maxCycle feature (maxCycle) for co-processing these assays. Cycle times for processing, throughput and hands-on time were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall processing cycle time was 10.3, 9.1 and 7.6 h for Scenarios A), B) and C), respectively. Total hands-on time for each scenario was, in order, 100.0 (A), 90.3 (B) and 61.4 min (C).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The interface of an automated analyzer to the laboratory workflow, notably system set up for samples and reagents and clean up functions, are as important as the automation capability of the analyzer for the overall impact to processing efficiency and operator hands-on time.
authors: Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Rome, Italy.
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Amendola
authors: Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Rome, Italy.
authors: Sabrina
authors: S
authors: Coen
authors: Abbott Molecular, Rome, Italy.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Belladonna
authors: Abbott Molecular, Rome, Italy.
authors: F Renato
authors: FR
authors: Pulvirenti
authors: Abbott Molecular, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, USA.
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Clemens
authors: Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Rome, Italy.
authors: M Rosaria
authors: MR
authors: Capobianchi