Automation of the Pre-Analytical Phase: A Performance Evaluation of Alternative Scenarios:

This paper is about the automation of the pre-analytical phase in a biochemical laboratory, which performs more than 3.7 million tests per year. The paper presents how an investment in the laboratory can be evaluated considering both economic criteria, future performance and service quality. The study comprises a workflow analysis of biological materials and information, the corresponding data collection and the use of simulation for performance evaluation. Alternative scenarios have been considered in terms of personnel, pre-analytical devices and management policies. The final scenario has been chosen according to economic criteria among a set of feasible scenarios, able to satisfy constraints.