Weiling Shou, Qian Chen, Wei Wu, Chunlei Wang, Guizhen Wang and Ran Li
The automation system described here, which consists of the Siemens Healthineers Aptio® Automation system, Sysmex® CS-5100 coagulation analyzer, and a Laboratory Information System (LIS), can contribute to intelligent management of coagulation testing in the laboratory. Based on actual operating conditions and the qualitymanagement requirements of coagulation testing, the laboratory in this study realized intelligent management of many aspects of the testing process, including sample management, priority testing of STAT samples, designation of the testing instrument, color coding of sample priority and other variables in the LIS interface, timeout reminders, and online reruns. The lab also benefited from the automatic decanting and quality-control functions of the coagulation analyzer. By adapting the pure-water management system of the Sysmex analyzer and optimizing the CentraLink® Data Management System middleware and laboratory information system, the lab reduced the need for manual sorting and enhanced workflow efficiency and quality while also accommodating higher test volume. The lab also used the intelligent management system to establish rerun rules for coagulation testing. The lab’s next goal is to achieve intelligent verification of results.