Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara

Ts. Dr. James Chong

Laboratory Automation Strategist

Globally, healthcare providers are striving for opportunities to expand their investigation service range while speeding up turnaround time (TAT) for testing and providing quality patient care. The Covid-19 pandemic put a significant strain on the healthcare workforce and consequently reduced healthcare service quality. The surge in demand for lab services evident in the high (and still growing) number of investigations conducted, coupled with the limited number of healthcare professionals in the country, has made automation become even more crucial in this day and age. On that account, laboratories are commonly undertaking digital transformation initiatives, equipping themselves with the latest, sophisticated digital solutions available in the market. With full-fledged automation, the number of procedure steps will reduce, leading to a more efficient workflow, and optimised usage of equipment and reagents.

Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara (THKD) in Malaysia is the flagship private hospital of TMC Life Sciences Berhad (TMCLS) with a wide range of medical specialties. The recent hospital expansion has shown growth in the number of laboratory tests to a new horizon. Once again, the increase in demand and the constrained number of healthcare workers are the main factors contributing to the need for a paradigm shift from the current practice. Hence, THKD decided to engage with Abbott to embark on chemical pathology automation to improve the patient experience while driving operational excellence. By adopting their digital solutions and automation, a scalable laboratory automation solution is implemented with Abbott GLP systems and Alinity ci-series. This agility is supported by GLP’s modular design and the ability to scale provided by the Alinity ci-series which promote flexibility to grow to suit the current demand.

Increase Productivity and Reduce Error

Traditionally, the chemical pathology blood investigation process requires multiple steps, some of which need manual intervention from sample reception to final unloading. To stress how important chemical pathology is in a lab, this sub specialised laboratory service comprises almost 70 percent of the total laboratory census. Evidence-based practice suggested most of laboratory errors fall outside the analytical phase. Studies have shown that pre-analytical errors account for up to 70 percent of all mistakes made in laboratory investigations. Most of the errors have happened during patient preparation, sample collection, transportation, and preparation for analysis and storage. The GLP automation solution with innovative CAR technology and smart software architecture solution helps to optimise laboratory workflow by removing manual steps, reducing laboratory staff’s hands-on time potentially up to 70 percent. The self-driving CAR is intelligent and automatically controlled at various speeds based on the priority of the test required. Potential manual error sources were significantly reduced as a result of reducing staff interventions.

"The GLP automation solution with innovative CAR technology and smart software architecture solution helps to optimise laboratory workflow by removing manual steps, reducing laboratory staff’s hands-on time potentially up to 70 percent "

Improved TAT and Quick Data Accessibility

In order to overcome unprecedented healthcare challenges, agile resource management is a mandatory requirement to improve laboratory operational productivity. Independent Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) usually lack the functionality to drive operational efficiency, which often results in fragmented workflow processes. Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLT) is required to operate on various platforms or systems to manage related workflows and results. By introducing the analyser management system, THKD is able to standardise systems and workflow functionality across the entire laboratory network, enabling us to optimize efficiency and quality. By implementing the AlinIQ AMS, THKD can streamline the management of key laboratory data, such as patient test orders, results, and quality of the data. In addition, it shortens the TAT and TAT variability even during peak operations. Furthermore, by stressing the seamless integration with AlinIQ AMS with LIS facilitation, auto-generation, and auto-dispatching of reports to clinicians can be achieved within the recommended period. Thus, the delivery of safe, efficient, patient-centred healthcare services can succeed with enhanced patient satisfaction.

Cost Saving, Effective Specimen Storage and Retrieval

The GLP and automation system has minimised manual steps for specimen storage and retrieval. The system also offers quick access to the sample, and immediate automated transport of the specimen via CAR technology to the instrument for testing whenever an additional request is required. Besides reducing reagent costs through increased productivity, the automated system is more precise and efficient in deploying reagents which reduces laboratory waste to protect our environment.

Quality Assurance and Space Conservation

Scheduled and regular quality controls (QC) for instruments based on the manufacturer’s recommendations are usually accompanied by an instrument downtime. With an automated quality assurance programme, the patient’s blood investigation results are monitored constantly to ascertain result trending. If outliers are observed, the MLT will be notified immediately without any possible delay to correct the performance issue that might be indicative of QC issues or invalid tests performed. Ultimately, a delay in results or repeat drawing of blood samples from patients can be avoided. Established laboratories also face a common issue with space constraints. This modern technology and solutions in laboratories can deliver several functions without taking up large physical space. These solutions can optimise the existing space effectively and make such automation transformation more feasible and ideal to realise. With the implementation of laboratory automated solutions, THKD can successfully improve laboratory procedures and increase operational proficiency. This transformation has led to improvements in manual staff activity, process and operating cost optimization, system uptime, space utilization, and ultimately staff satisfaction. With hope, these innovations will allow THKD to deliver patient-centred care while providing the flexibility to scale their capabilities to meet the ever-