MURRIETA, Calif., Dec. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Regardless of their
physical size, location or specimen load, Microbiology laboratories
can significantly boost their efficiencies — and subsequently cut
labor costs — by replacing manual processes with full
automation, according to a new study released by the Journal of
Clinical Microbiology (JCM) on November 25,
2020.
"We now have concrete evidence showing that labs of any size can
all benefit by converting to a fully automated site"
The multicenter study titled "Benefits Derived from Full
Laboratory Automation in Microbiology: A Tale of Four
Laboratories," examined laboratories that varied in size, location,
patient mix and acuity — and revealed that this automation solution
benefits different types of institutions.
"Thanks to this study, we now have concrete evidence showing
that labs, from large to small and from those handling a few
hundred bacterial cultures a day to thousands, can all benefit by
converting to a fully automated site," said COPAN Scientific
Director Dr. Susan Sharp. "In the
years the analyses were performed, the laboratories in this study
all benefited from savings in full-time equivalents regardless of
their size or their increase in specimen volume during the pre- and
post-study periods."
While many studies have examined the advantages of automation,
most focus on the positive effect it has on turnaround times for
culture results. Instead, this novel study also looked at
automation from a broader efficiency point of view, specifically
measuring the benefits of automation in full-time equivalents,
productivity, cost per specimen, and cost avoidance.
The pre- and post-full automation audits were performed at
TriCore Reference Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, Willis-Knighton Health System
in Shreveport, LA, Hamilton
Regional Laboratory Medicine Program in Ontario, Canada and Sutter Health in
Livermore, CA. Even though all
four of the laboratories have vastly different culture volumes, the
study revealed that the implementation of full laboratory
automation still had a widespread positive impact on the lab's
productivity.
"This is great news for labs looking to improve their
efficiencies at a time when all Microbiology labs are under the
pressure of higher workloads and staffing and space
constraints," said COPAN CEO Norman
Sharples. "Also, the fact that it's a large, multicenter
study — the first of its kind in the world — will help laboratories
that may be semi-automated or completely manual, understand the
significant value of automation and decide to make the leap to full
laboratory automation."
Before installing full laboratory automation, researchers spent
six to twelve months collecting data. After installation the WASP®
and WASPLab® systems, which include smart incubators, track lines,
digital culture imaging, artificial intelligence and integrated
algorithm software, were evaluated against the pre-automation data.
The researchers discovered the following:
- Specimen volume jumped from between 24% to 64% at every
site
- Productivity increased ranging from 18% to 93%
- Total labor savings ranging from $268,000 to $1,200,000 annually, equating to a cost per
specimen decrease of between 15% and 47%
COPAN's PhenoMATRIX™ software segregates positive and negative
cultures, provides colony counts and screens positive from negative
results obtained from chromogenic agars. WASPLab® is a modular,
scalable and customizable specimen processing and culture work-up
system for Clinical Microbiology. WASP® is a modular, open platform
that fully automates all facets of specimen processing in
Microbiology, including planting and streaking, Gram slide
preparation, broth inoculation and disk application to aid in
rapid, direct identification.
The researchers at TriCore Reference Laboratories and
Willis-Knighton Health System also evaluated turnaround times for
culture results. Before the implementation of full laboratory
automation, the average turnaround time for urine culture at
Willis-Knighton Health System clocked in at 30.8 hours. After
converting to a fully automated facility, the Microbiology lab cut
its turnaround time to 23.0 hours, resulting in a 7.8 hours faster
process.
TriCore Reference Laboratories decreased their turnaround time
during every step of the process. Their median turnaround time
pre-automation was 35 hours, followed by 31 hours post-WASP®, 29
hours post-full laboratory automation, and 21 hours after
implementation of reading algorithms. This total decrease of 14
hours was accompanied by a 24% increase in specimen volume.
With fewer individuals entering the field of laboratory
medicine, Microbiologists retiring at a high rate, and most
recently laboratory professionals being re-tasked to other areas of
the laboratory in order to assist with increased testing demand due
to COVID-19, laboratories are challenged to find a way to continue
to produce quality results with fewer personnel. This study shows
that fully automated laboratories can operate around the clock with
fewer resources, yet still manage to release high quality results
faster.
Learn more about COPAN's efficiency-boosting full laboratory
automation and innovative algorithms.
About COPAN
With a reputation for innovation, COPAN
is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in
the world. COPAN's collaborative approach to pre-analytics has
resulted in Flocked Swabs, ESwab™, UTM® Universal Transport Medium,
and laboratory automation, WASP® and WASPLab®. COPAN carries a
range of microbial sampling products, inoculation loops, and
pipettes. For more information,
visit www.copanusa.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unique-multicenter-study-shows-implementation-of-copans-wasp-and-wasplab-in-various-microbiology-lab-settings-is-a-cost-savings-efficiency-increasing-move-301186775.html
SOURCE COPAN Diagnostics, Inc.