Using automation to improve

your diagnostic efficiency

Efficiency in lab diagnostics is critical to ensuring the best
possible patient outcomes. Here’s how to use automation to
help you reach a better efficiency.
Contents

Introduction 1-2

What is efficiency in diagnostics? 3-4

The factors challenging efficiency in diagnostics 5-6

What is automation in diagnostics? 7

How automation makes diagnostics labs more efficient 8 - 10

How to automate diagnostics processes 11 - 14

Finding a genuine lab automation partner 15 - 16

How Automata Labs works with you to improve diagnostic efficiency 17

Introduction

Enhanced efficiency is one of the key benefits of

automation in diagnostic labs. By speeding up
operations, reducing pressure on lab workers and
enhancing the quality of results, automated lab
equipment is able to significantly scale the number of
tests a lab can process every day.

Automation is particularly essential as the demand

for diagnostics increases, year on year. Pathology
labs today are experiencing more pressure than ever
before to deliver results in a timely manner in order to
improve patient’s treatment and outcomes. COVID-19
has only increased this demand.

In order to meet current demand and future proof,

many diagnostic labs have begun to heavily invest
in automation in recent years in order to increase
efficiency.

In this ebook, we will explore how automation

improves efficiency in diagnostics, how to automate
your workflows and how to pick the best automation
partner for your lab.

Introduction 1
Why is efficiency important in
diagnostics?

Introduction 2
Why is efficiency important in
diagnostics?
Efficiency is important in diagnostics because it is
the most effective way that healthcare providers
can ensure they are delivering quality care to all
patients. Diagnostics has become increasingly vital in
healthcare, and today, 70% of medical decisions rely
on laboratory test results.
Why is efficiency important in diagnostics?
Enhancing diagnostic efficiency is not only critical to
ensuring better care, it is also necessary to provide
more tests for more people. This need has been
highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic where, in UK
pathology microbiology labs alone, diagnostic testing
requirements jumped from around 300,000 a year, to
300,000 every single day in 2021, according to the
The Institute of Biomedical Science.
However, while efficiency is critical to improving
healthcare and allowing labs to scale for future
requirements, there are a number of challenges.
3
70%
of today’s medical decisions rely on laboratory
test results

14 billion
lab tests are ordered annually

40,000 - 80,000
deaths occur annually from preventable
diagnostic errors

Source: CDC

Why is efficiency important in diagnostics? 4

The factors challenging efficiency in
lab diagnostics

Today, there are a number of factors that make

ensuring efficiency in diagnostic testing a challenge,
including:

• T
 he increased pressure from an ageing
population

• T
 he growing number of treatments
requiring diagnostic testing

• G
 reater access to care resulting in more
demand for tests

• H
 uman error delaying diagnostic
processes

• Staffing issues and high worker turnover

• More
 recently, the impact of COVID-19
and potential future pandemics

The factors challenging efficiency in lab diagnostics 5

 Major expansion and reform of diagnostic services is needed
over the next five years to facilitate recovery from the Covid-19
pandemic and to meet rising demand across multiple aspects
of diagnostics.

NHS England

Even though laboratory testing is a highly complex process

and service, it is the backbone of the modern health care
sector. Despite its rapid advances in laboratory science, it is still
susceptible to various manual and systemic errors.

Ducatman BS, Ducatman AM, Crawford JM, Laposata M, Sanfilippo F. The value
proposition for pathologists: a population health approach. SAGE. 7;2019

In 2021, the demand and capability for molecular testing in UK

pathology microbiology labs has jumped from around 300,000
a year, to 300,000 every single day.

The Institute of Biomedical Science

The factors challenging efficiency in lab diagnostics 6

What is automation in diagnostics?

Automation is equipment that can be used with Lab automation can be made up of hardware, for
minimal human intervention. Today, automation example a liquid handler, or it can be software, such
technology is generally used to reduce the pressure as a laboratory information management system
on humans to conduct repetitive tasks. (LIMS). Automation can take the form of a single
piece of equipment that is used to automate one
process in the lab, or it can be a total workflow
In a clinical laboratory setting, automation
automation system that links multiple softwares and
equipment enables lab workers to perform many
hardwares to automate entire assays.
of the processes involved in diagnostic testing with
limited intervention. Lab automation equipment can
generally process more workload with less manpower.
It also reduces the errors associated with repetitive
tasks being performed by humans.

What is automation in diagnostics? 7

How automation makes diagnostic
labs more efficient

How much efficiency can be gained from automation

depends on the level to which a diagnostic lab
decides to automate its processes. For instance, a
lab that invests in a single plate handler will see less
efficiency gains than a lab that automates an entire
assay.

But generally speaking, lab automation technologies

can help diagnostic labs increase efficiencies in a
number of ways:

How automation makes diagnostic labs more efficient 8

 Results that are accurate are critical for ensuring
1. A
 utomation ensures
patients receive the correct treatment. Most of the
accurate results errors that happen in diagnostic labs today are as
a result of their dependence on manual work. By
using lab automation to automate as many repetitive
tasks as possible, human intervention minimised.
As a result, the likelihood of errors is reduced, since
the challenges that cause humans to make mistakes
- such as an unexpected increase in workload, or
miscommunication - are eliminated.

In order to manage the ever-growing workload

2. A
 utomation enhances staff
involved in diagnostics today, labs need to
productivity significantly improve the productivity of staff. By
removing the repetitive, monotonous tasks involved
in running assays or paperwork, staff can invest their
time elsewhere on high value-add activities.

When lab work is all conducted manually, identifying

3. A
 utomation controls
bottlenecks in operations can be very challenging.
operational leakages Lab automation - in particular, automation software
- can identify opportunities for labs to streamline
operations and give workers more control over every
step. This allows for traceability across diagnostic
operations, meaning assays can be free from any
leakages, and productivity is further enhanced.

How automation makes diagnostic labs more efficient 9

 With manual diagnostic processes, it can be
4. A
 utomation makes it easier to
difficult and time-consuming to keep track of data.
access more data However, when automation is used in the lab, every
activity is tracked and digital data can be generated
automatically. The more data available - and the
more accurate that data is - the better decisions that
labs can make in regards to how they run operations.
Better data also means more accurate diagnostic
results, and better patient outcomes.

Day-to-day sample management is another

5. A
 utomation means tracking
challenging and time-consuming task that can
samples is easier stall productivity in a diagnostics lab. Automation
technologies are able to help labs manage samples
better by automatically keeping track of samples all
the way through the process, from preparation to
results.

While automation tends to come with high

6. Automation reduces costs
upfront costs, the increased efficiency saves time,
resources and manpower, resulting in reduced
costs over time. Additionally, if the lab chooses
an automation partner that delivers a managed
service with monthly fees, rather than one large,
upfront payment, the reduction of cost is even more
noticeable.

How automation makes diagnostic labs more efficient 10

How to automate diagnostics
processes

In this section, we run through a simple

guide to automating the diagnostics
process.

1 UNDERSTAND
Why you want to automate

2 PLOT
Out your workflow

3 MAP
The equipment against your desired outcome

4 ENGAGE
With potential partners

5 COMPILE
With potential partners

How to automate diagnostics processes 11

 Your automation solution needs to target pressing
1. U
 nderstand why you want
issues in your pathology lab to be effective. Common
to automate motivations for automating diagnostics include:

• Quality control problems

• Cost issues

• Staffing shortages

• Capacity concerns

You can better understand what success will look like

for your lab by fully understanding the scope of the
problem.

Next, plot out the standard operating procedure for

2. Plot out your workflow
the processes you want to automate. Performing
time trials and quality monitoring will help you to
understand things such as:

• H
 ow long does it take for a human to
conduct the process?

• H
 ow many mistakes does a human make
doing this task?

• H
 ow many tests can human workers per-
form in one day?

• A
 re there parts of your process that cre-
ate delays or impact quality?

How to automate diagnostics processes 12

 Once you know your processes, map this information
3. M
 ap tech against desired
out against your automation needs and the outcomes
outcome you want. For example, you may have set a target of
10,000 tests a week, but you’re currently falling short
by 5,000. You can better understand what available
technology will help you reach your goal once you
have identified this gap.

Just because you have found a technology that could

4. E
 ngage with potential
address your needs does not mean that you have
partners found the solution. The most significant factor in the
success of any automation project is the effectiveness
of the partner you work with. Therefore, it is good
practice to engage with several partners and speak to
them about your requirements to see what’s available
for you. Here are the qualities of a good automation
partner:

• T
 hey visit you on-site to understand your
specific needs

• T
 hey help with the whole automation
process, rather than just a slice of it

• T
 hey will create a solution that’s flexible
enough for your changing needs

• T
 hey provide excellent customer service
and ongoing support

• T
 hey help you fill in the blanks around
what a machinery and automation
solution should look like

• T
 hey are transparent around price and
lead times

The process of choosing a partner can be

challenging, so we will cover it in more detail in the
following section.

How to automate diagnostics processes 13

 It is important to pull together a business case for
5. C
 ompile business case
automation so you can clearly map progress and
for automation understand the ROI on your automation investment
before you automate. You should bring all the
stakeholders involved into this process.

A business case is unique to each lab, but there are a

few general things that are worth considering:

• The financial impact of the investment

• H
 ow scalable your automation solution
will be

• H
 ow much employees experience and
safety in the lab will be improved

• The support model the partner provides

How to automate diagnostics processes 14

Finding a genuine lab automation
partner
It is critical for the success of any lab automation
project that there is a genuine partnership, where the
vendor takes time to understand the lab’s specific
needs. Lab workers should be able to focus on their
important, life-saving work and leave the automation
to the experts. But unfortunately it is often far more
difficult than that.
Finding a genuine lab automation partner
Many automation partners provide solutions that are
too complex, expensive and bulky, with deployment
taking many years. Fortunately, the industry has
developed greatly over the last few years, and there
are now a number of options available for each lab.
Here are some of the things to look out for when
you are trying to find an effective partner in the lab
automation space:
15
A genuine automation partner will:

1 Visit your site to understand your

specific needs 5 Be flexible and change with your
requirements

2 Work closely with you throughout the

whole process 6 Offer cost-effective options, such as
monthly payments

3 Offer ongoing support, potentially

posting a member of staff on-site 7 Be technology and process agnostic:
The goal should be to develop the
best automation solution for you, not
push a certain product

4 Simplify your processes with

automation, rather than making them
more complex

Finding a genuine lab automation partner 16

How Automata Labs works with you to
improve diagnostic efficiency

At Automata, we believe that it is time for lab As well as ensuring efficiency in your diagnostics
automation solutions for diagnostics labs that are testing, partnering with Automata Labs also allows
easy, adaptable and scalable enough to revolutionise you to:
the Life Sciences.
• Improve the quality of your diagnostic
That is why we have developed our lab automation results
platform, Automata Labs. Automata Labs is a total
workflow automation system that makes scaling-up • G
 uarantee better and safer working
accessible to labs of all shapes and sizes. Comprising conditions for staff
proprietary hardware, single-platform software and a
world-class service, we partner with you to take the • Save time, money and other resources
hassle out of automation, empowering you to achieve
more reliable results faster than ever before.

With the diagnostics process automated from start to

finish, diagnostic labs can process more tests, faster,
resulting in better patient outcomes.

Speak to our team today to learn more about

Automata Labs.

Learn more

How Automata Labs works with you to improve diagnostic efficiency 17

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United Kingdom

sales@automata.tech
+44 (0) 20 3887 0254

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