Operation Review

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Operation Review

An operation review prior to an instrument search will help determine compatibility with the laboratory. The operation review should include an assessment of:
  1. Test ordering
  2. Specimen collection and transport
  3. Specimen preparation
  4. Test reporting
Test ordering patterns are an important consideration in instrument selection. For example, one should ask if most tests are ordered routine, as soon as possible (ASAP), or STAT? If a lot of STAT tests are ordered along with routine testing, can the STAT tests be put on the instrument without waiting for the routine run to finish?
An operation review should also ask where and how are specimens collected and transported? Are they all collected in-house? If transported from another location, are there weather factors (cold or heat) to consider that might affect the testing? Is there a history of short or hemolyzed samples being collected?
Specimen preparation can be a factor. Questions to consider include:
  1. What type of specimens are needed? Are they serum, plasma, or whole blood and can urine and other body fluids be run on the instrument?
  2. What type of procedures are required for specimen preparation?
  3. How long does it take to prepare the specimen once it is delivered to the laboratory?
  4. Who are the primary patients? If pediatric, will the instrument run small samples?
  5. What is the average time between collection and testing? Does the instrument require tests to be run within a specific period?
  6. Is bar coding critical for preventing specimen preparation errors?
  7. Is their proper storage for specimens once they are processed before being sent over to the instrument?
  8. Is their proper space to process the potential increase in specimens collected because of adding the instrument?
  9. How safely can the specimens be prepared for testing?