Laboratory medicine: the silent engine behind patient care

Laboratory medicine is the backbone of modern healthcare. More than 70% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory results. Think of prescribing an antibiotic for a positive blood culture or starting dialysis for a patient with deteriorating kidney function – just two examples of how crucial these results are.

Last year, the Erasmus MC laboratories processed over 675,000 patient samples and reported over 9.1 million results to our doctors. With such numbers, it's clear: automation and robotization are essential for ensuring speed, reliability, and quality.

Traditionally, laboratory specialties such as clinical chemistry, medical microbiology, and hospital pharmacy were highly segregated domains, each with its own processes, systems, and infrastructure. This fragmentation made collaboration and data sharing complex and time-consuming.

In recent decades, however, we've seen a slow but clear trend toward greater collaboration and integration. This is driven by technological advances (analysis systems that can support multiple disciplines), efficiency and cost savings (shared infrastructure and streamlined processes), and, last but not least, quality and patient safety, where a single, integrated workflow, particularly for 24/7 routine diagnostics, reduces errors.

This development seamlessly aligns with the concept of total laboratory automation, developed in the early 1990s, which not only automates analysis but also brings the entire process—from material collection to reporting and archiving—under a single, integrated solution. Currently, Erasmus MC is developing a completely new TLA solution that will put this collaboration and integration of the various laboratory specialties into practice. This will allow us to build not only an efficient solution with faster turnaround times but also a reliable, uniform solution with a reduced risk of human error.

With the increasing pressure on healthcare staff due to the growing demand for care, automation and integration will not only remain a necessity but will also play a key role in the future of patient care. In my presentation, I'll show you how we, as laboratory specialists at Erasmus MC, envision shaping this.

– Dr. Christian Ramakers –