Change Your Laboratory Workflows for the Better
June 22, 2023
Laboratories and their associated remote testing/sampling sites may like the numerous, multistep workflows that currently rule the organization’s daily operations. These laboratories should not buy SampleVision™. Many of your favorite workflows will be immediately streamlined if you do make SampleVision part of your lab. Conversely, if you’re looking for every possible competitive advantage in the age of digital transformation, read on for descriptions of how some of your sampling, testing, and reporting workflows would be simplified if you did buy SampleVision. SampleVision’s ability to interface with more than one LIMS or LIS can make these workflows simpler across your organization.
The Sample Collection Laboratory Workflow
Your current sample submission workflows probably look something like this: Samples are collected, and sampling locations are noted. Upon return to the lab, labels or barcodes are created manually if they aren’t already on the sample containers. Labeled samples are logged into the LIMS or LIS.
With SampleVision, many of these existing workflow steps become unnecessary. You’d collect the samples and log their locations using SampleVision’s geotagging capability. Labels or barcodes are created in SampleVision, and SampleVision autoposts the samples to the LIMS with the details of the incoming samples and their required tests. This saves time for lab staff and reduces potential human error.
The Sample Testing Laboratory Workflow
Sample testing workflows have the potential to change dramatically with SampleVision too. Today, it’s potentially a surprise when samples arrive in the lab, sometimes with a tight turnaround time. Your staff may need to adjust their schedules on short notice. Samples are analyzed while your staff fields update requests via phone or email. Once the results are ready, someone needs to log the results in the LIMS or LIS.
Conversely, when SampleVision is implemented, sample entries are visible in real time as soon as the samples are logged at the point of collection. Staff schedules can be adjusted as needed before the samples arrive in the lab, with less urgency. The push notification feature in SampleVision can keep users advised of the samples’ progress through the lab. When results are entered in the LIMS or LIS, results are pushed to SampleVision and users can see them as soon as they’re ready in the sample management app. With SampleVision, the lab staff no longer need to answer constant questions about the status of samples or tests.
The Reporting Laboratory Workflow
Once results are available, they need to get into the LIMS or LIS for compilation in reports. Your staff may be fielding calls and emails from people who need the results, but reports may be pulled only when someone has time to do it. Then, those reports have to be distributed to the requesters. Users may complain about wait times for results, despite your commitment to automation.
Adding SampleVision to your lab’s toolbox frees up much of the time that used to be dedicated to creating and distributing reports. Users can access reports in the LIMS, or critical reports can be emailed directly to them. Push notifications can be enabled in the app to let users know when their results are ready. Results can even be emailed directly to users before a report is generated.
Those hours that your lab staff are spending on the existing workflows have a cost that you can quantify. They’re lab costs that you could be saving, but only if you’re willing to see some of your workflows change dramatically. SampleVision can streamline workflows throughout your lab and bring value to your organization.
What value would you like to get from streamlining sample submission workflows?