POST-IMPLEMENTATION OF AN AUTOMATIC TUBE SORTING AND REGISTRATION SYSTEM IN A CORE LABORATORY VE

Summary Bachground: Sample classification and registration have been recognized as important and time-consuming processes in laboratories. There is increasing pressure on laboratories to automate processes due to intense workload and reduce manual procedures and errors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the positive effects of an automatic tube registration and sorting system on specimen processing. Methods: An automatic tube registration and sorting system (HCTS2000 MK2, m-u-t AG, Wedel, Germany) was evaluated. Turnaround time (TAT), rate of sample rejection and unrealized tests were examined 12 months pre- and post-implementation of the automatic tube sorting and registration system. Results: The mean TAT of routine chemistry immunoassay, complete blood cell count (CBC) and coagulation samples were significantly improved (P<0.001). The number of rejected samples and unrealized tests was insignificantly decreased post-implementation of the system (0.4% to 0.2% and 4.5% to 1.4%, respectively) (P>0.05). Conclusions: By reducing delays and errors in the preanalytical processing and sorting of samples, significant improvements in specimen processing were observed after implementation of the system. These results suggest that an automatic tube registration and sorting system may also be used to improve specimen processing in a higher-volume core laboratory. Kratak sadržaj Uvod: Klasifikacija i registracija uzoraka u laboratorijama prepoznate su kao važni i dugotrajni procesi. Laboratorije su pod sve većim pritiskom da automatizuju postupke zbog velikog obima posla i smanje manuelne procedure i greške. Cilj ove studije bio je da se procene pozitivni efekti jednog sistema za automatsko registrovanje i sortiranje uzoraka na njihovu obradu. Metode: Ocenjivali smo sistem za automatsko registrovanje i sortiranje uzoraka (HCTS2000 MK2, m-u-t AG, Wedel, Nemačka). Ukupno vreme za obradu uzorka (turnaround time), stopa odbacivanja uzorka i nerealizovani testovi obradeni su 12 meseci pre i posle implementacije sistema za automatsko sortiranje i registrovanje uzoraka. Rezultati: Srednje ukupno vreme obrade uzoraka za rutinske hemijske imunoeseje, kompletnu krvnu sliku i koagulaciju bilo je značajno bolje (P<0,001). Broj odbačenih uzoraka i nerealizovanih testova bio je smanjen, iako ne značajno, posle implementacije sistema (sa 0,4% na 0,2%, odnosno sa 4,5% na 1,4%) (P>0,05). Zaključak: Zahvaljujući ređim slučajevima kašnjenja i redim greškama prilikom preanalitičke obrade i sortiranja uzoraka, uočena su značajna poboljšanja u obradi uzoraka posle implementacije ovog sistema. Naši rezultati pokazuju da se sistemi za automatsko registrovanje i sortiranje mogu koristiti radi poboljšane obrade uzoraka i u centralnim laboratorijama sa velikim obimom posla.

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