Automation in the clinical microbiology laboratory.
Imagine a clinical microbiology laboratory where a patient's specimens are placed on a conveyor belt and sent on an automation line for processing and plating. Technologists need only log onto a computer to visualize the images of a culture and send to a mass spectrometer for identification. Once a pathogen is identified, the system knows to send the colony for susceptibility testing. This is the future of the clinical microbiology laboratory. This article outlines the operational and staffing challenges facing clinical microbiology laboratories and the evolution of automation that is shaping the way laboratory medicine will be practiced in the future.
Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Regional Reference Laboratories, 11668 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA, USA. susan.m.novak@kp.org
Susan M
SM
Novak
Elizabeth M
EM
Marlowe
D001331:Automation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D008828:Microbiological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008829:Microbiology / Q000639:trends; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
Clinical microbiology; Efficiency; Preanalytical automation; Quality; Total laboratory automation