Laboratory automation holds the promise of enhanced workflows, improved efficiency, and decreased turnaround time while mitigating an environment of rising costs, constrained resources, and staffing shortages.  Many publications tout improved outcomes from laboratory automation but realizing these results may not come easily.

Automated Laboratories: When Technology Needs a Human Touch was published in the May 2018 issue of the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine.  This work reflects on one lab’s experience with a challenging implementation of laboratory automation.   Several unanticipate outcomes were encountered that required investigation to improve laboratory turnaround time.