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Comment
. 2020 Mar 25;58(4):e00012-20.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.00012-20. Print 2020 Mar 25.

Machine Learning Takes Laboratory Automation to the Next Level

Bradley A Ford  1 , Erin McElvania  2
Affiliations
Comment

Machine Learning Takes Laboratory Automation to the Next Level

Bradley A Ford et al. J Clin Microbiol. .

Abstract

Clinical microbiology laboratories face challenges with workload and understaffing that other clinical laboratory sections have addressed with automation. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, M. L. Faron, B. W. Buchan, R. F. Relich, J. Clark, and N. A. Ledeboer (J Clin Microbiol 58:e01683-19, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01683-19) evaluate the performance of automated image analysis software to screen urine cultures for further workup according to their total number of CFU. Urine cultures are the highest volume specimen type for most laboratories, so this software has the potential for tremendous gains in laboratory efficiency and quality due to the consistency of colony quantification.

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References

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