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Review
. 2013 Sep;33(3):567-88.
doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2013.03.002.

Automation in the clinical microbiology laboratory

Susan M Novak  1 , Elizabeth M Marlowe
Affiliations
Review

Automation in the clinical microbiology laboratory

Susan M Novak et al. Clin Lab Med. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Clinical microbiology; Efficiency; Preanalytical automation; Quality; Total laboratory automation.

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