Automation of Laboratory Testing: A Tool for Diagnostic Transformation in Nigeria

The laboratory plays a significant role in the healthcare industry and impacts more than 70% of clinical choices Being made in medical services determination. In recent times both public and private hospitals are progressively constrained to enhance laboratory testing, therefore, moving from the manual testing method to automation. Amongst the challenges faced using the manual method are unstable test result, error due to parallax, dilution error, quality control challenges, longer wait period of test results and other human errors. It is believed that automation would help in improving the patient diagnosis, laboratory safety, and testing, better workflow, quality management, improve turnaround time and reduce human error in Laboratory testing. Automation can be considered as one of the leaps forwards in the historical backdrop of in-vitro diagnostic in laboratory testing all around the world. Notwithstanding, upgrading the laboratory testing from manual method to automation also presents some potential difficulties addressed by the significant expense of arrangement, infrastructural and space constraints, and skilled employees. The primary objective of this research study is to investigate the effect of automation in improving laboratory testing and its outcome in both the public and private laboratories in Nigeria. This research study also explores the advantages of automation over the conventional method. The survey design approach will be adopted towards the study, while a simple random system will be used to acquire the two hundred (200) laboratories across Nigeria to include laboratories from both public and private laboratories. A total number of two hundred (200) participants will be used in this research study. The participants are personnel and scientist in active service working in the laboratory within the age group of (30-50yrs) to include both males and females. The questionnaire will be a tool to be used for gathering data and examined using the frequency counts, mean, percentages, and correlation analysis. Based on a previous study Being carried out by randox laboratories on the automation of the manual ELISA method, the results suggest that the successful implementation of laboratory automation is effective in the prevention of error during laboratory testing.