The need for immediate laboratory tests just like developments in technology has been a factor to be taken into consideration in transforming medical laboratories. According to Casagranda (2010), developments such as the use of Point of Care Testing (PTO) have specifically been adopted for quicker response to emergency treatments. The basis of Point of Care Testing consequently led to improvements in facilities to ensure ready availability of equipment and personnel for such tests which are occasionally required within short time durations (Casagranda, 2010).
Such developments have equivalently called for the need for improvements in the operation of laboratories with respect to the scope of work, quality of offered services, organization and economics which have been factors towards laboratory systems operations. In response to the demands with respect to scope, for example, laboratories have developed to offer a wider range of services that include analysis of services offered to patients besides the traditional testing that was initially primarily offered. The wide diversity of services that include “wellness centers, home care, physician’s offices, acute care settings, and long-term care operations” (Wolper, n.d., p. 1) have also demanded improvements in the value for utility for the services that are being offered as well as management of the processes to ensure that the operation costs are minimized.
The need for integration of laboratory centers has also been realized for improvement of customer services since no single center can manage the provision of all testing services that patients may need. Integration is similarly important with respect to coordinating interdepartmental operations of a laboratory center. This is due to the nature of services that are offered by laboratories. The main function of conducting tests and offering accurate results requires well-coordinated processes between different departments to ensure that no mix-up is encountered which may lead to the delivery of wrong results to a patient (Wolper, n.d.).
Developments that have been initiated by technological advancements have also led to significant improvements in the operations of laboratories. Contrary to the former periods when the equipment was scarce and some services could only be referred to specific centers, systems have been developed that allow institutions to offer a variety of tests in the same place. This has contributed to time efficiency in service provisions by allowing for testing and analysis to be conducted in the same place. It has also made the services more economical owing to the transportation cost that was initially involved. Technology has also led to the employment of automated machines that have also made work faster and cheaper thus serving more patients at a given time duration. The consequence of the realized developments in laboratory setups have on the other hand brought about the need for increased management tasks to ensure that the application of technologies, as well as the coordination of integrated centers, is done in line with efficiency and economics. One of the necessities to such management roles is the understanding of service levels in laboratory operations. Such levels are defined on the basis of the individual services that are provided by the center. A clear understanding of each level and the interdependence between the levels is key to their coordination. An understanding of sub-departments in a laboratory is then followed by organizing them to effectively operate simultaneously without any conflict in operations. The laboratories should also be configured to meet the diversified needs of the customers. Effective planning and knowledge of the laboratories also form the basis of the management (Wolper, n.d.).
I concur with the opinions that are presented by the authors on the basis of understanding systems for effective laboratory operations in line with facilitating point of care testing.
References
Casagranda, I. (2010). Point of care testing in critical care: the clinician’s point of view. Clinical Chem Lab Med 48(7) pp. 931-934.
Wolper, L. (n.d.). Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing and Managing Organized delivery systems. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.