Workflow analysis in determining instrumentation needs.

The workflow parameters that have been reviewed should be carefully utilized with all the other traditional evaluation techniques in making an instrument decision. Most laboratory managers make the mistake of purchasing a larger analyzer than is required. The cost of this mistake is not just the usually higher purchase price. Larger and higher speed instruments tend to be more complex, requiring better-trained operators and necessitating more maintenance. In addition, they tend to be less flexible for meeting STAT needs and more difficult to bring out of the stand-by mode. For the smaller laboratory, the oversized analyzer not only raises the operating requirements, but potentially lowers the service capabilities. A careful analysis of the laboratory's workflow and production issues may also do more than help clarify the instrumentation issues. Often an audit of how work is processed will uncover new ways to organize and perform the testing. Instead of a new analyzer solving the perceived problem, the solution that has the most impact may not involve any capital acquisition at all. However, even when the decision reached results in new instrumentation, a better understanding of how the new machine should function in the laboratory's environment will only improve its effectiveness in addressing the need.