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.
['Novak|Susan M|SM|', 'Marlowe|Elizabeth M|EM|']
D001331:Automation D006801:Humans D007753:Laboratories D008828:Microbiological Techniques D008829:Microbiology D013048:Specimen Handling
Clinical microbiology Efficiency Preanalytical automation Quality Total laboratory automation