How to Evaluate Automation in Your Pathology or Cytology Laboratory Workflow

Introducing automation into a pathology or cytology laboratory is not simply a matter of selecting a system with the right capabilities.

The more important question is how that technology will function within your laboratory's actual workflow.

Every laboratory operates differently. Case volumes, staffing, existing equipment, applications, manual processes, and operational priorities can all influence where automation may add value—and where additional complexity may be introduced.

For laboratory managers evaluating automated imaging and analysis solutions, understanding the current workflow should therefore come before evaluating the technology itself.

Here are seven questions worth asking.

1. Where Are the Manual Steps and Bottlenecks?

Start by looking at how work moves through the laboratory today.

Which steps require the most operator time? Where do samples or slides wait? Which processes depend heavily on manual intervention? Are there particular stages that limit throughput during periods of higher workload?

A workflow assessment should identify these points before determining where automation may fit.

This is important because automating a process does not necessarily mean improving the entire workflow. The objective should be to understand whether automation addresses a meaningful constraint within the laboratory rather than simply replacing an individual manual task.

2. What Does Your Real Workload Look Like?

Average daily volume tells only part of the story.

Laboratories may experience variations in workload based on application, staffing, scheduling, case mix, or peak periods. An automation solution therefore needs to be considered in the context of the laboratory's actual operating environment.

Questions to consider include:

• What is the typical daily workload?
• How significantly does volume fluctuate?
• Which applications account for the largest share of the workload?
• Where does available staff capacity become a constraint?
• Are there processes that become difficult to manage during peak periods?

Understanding these factors provides a more realistic basis for evaluating throughput and capacity.

3. How Much Operator Intervention Does the Workflow Require?

Automation should also be evaluated according to what still needs to happen around the automated process.

Consider where operators need to load or handle slides, initiate processes, review images or results, manage exceptions, repeat steps, or move information between systems.

The relevant question is not simply, “Is this process automated?”

It is, “What does the operator still need to do?”

For laboratory managers, this distinction is important when evaluating staffing requirements, hands-on time, consistency, and how effectively personnel can be allocated across the laboratory.

4. How Will the Solution Fit With Your Existing Laboratory Environment?

An automated imaging and analysis solution does not operate in isolation.

Laboratories already have established processes, equipment, information systems, imaging tools, and ways of moving samples and information through the workflow.

A meaningful evaluation should therefore consider how a proposed solution interacts with that environment.

For example:

• Where does the system enter the existing workflow?
• What equipment or processes come immediately before and after it?
• How are images and information transferred through the analysis process?
• What configuration or integration may be required?
• Will introducing the system change responsibilities elsewhere in the workflow?

These questions help distinguish a successful product demonstration from a realistic assessment of implementation.

5. What Happens When the Workflow Is Not Ideal?

A controlled demonstration can show how a system performs when everything proceeds as expected.

Laboratory operations are rarely that predictable.

During an assessment, it is therefore useful to explore what happens when an exception occurs. What requires operator intervention? What happens when a process needs to be repeated? How does the workflow respond when additional review is required?

These scenarios can reveal practical considerations that may not be apparent during a standard demonstration.

A technology provider should be able to explain what the solution can do, what configuration may be required, and where additional technical evaluation is appropriate. When deeper expertise is required, the appropriate technical specialists should be involved rather than assumptions being made.

6. What Should You Measure Before and After Automation?

Before introducing automation, establish what improvement would actually mean for your laboratory.

Depending on the workflow and application, relevant measures may include:

• Throughput
• Hands-on operator time
• Number of manual touchpoints
• Workflow consistency
• Repeat work
• Utilization
• Turnaround time, where applicable
• Capacity during periods of higher workload

Not every laboratory will prioritize the same measures.

Defining these priorities before evaluating a solution makes it easier to determine whether automation is addressing the laboratory's actual operational objectives.

7. Can the Vendor Demonstrate Your Workflow, Not Just Their Product?

Perhaps one of the most useful questions to ask during an evaluation is how much the technology provider understands about your laboratory before the demonstration begins.

A standard demonstration can explain features and capabilities. A workflow-focused assessment should go further.

The provider should understand your objectives, current processes, relevant applications, existing imaging and analysis tools, operational constraints, and the questions your team needs answered.

That preparation allows the demonstration to focus on the parts of the technology that are relevant to your environment.

It also creates a more productive conversation about where automation may fit—and where further evaluation may be necessary.

What a BioView Workflow Assessment Looks Like

At BioView, we believe a successful workflow assessment starts before we enter the laboratory.

Before an assessment, we work to understand the laboratory's existing workflow, including manual steps, bottlenecks, operator requirements, current imaging and analysis tools, and areas where the laboratory is looking to improve throughput, consistency, reproducibility, or efficiency.

We also prepare the BioView representatives and local partners involved in the assessment. This preparation goes beyond product knowledge. It includes understanding the workflow, relevant applications, system configuration, the relationship between imaging and analysis, and where additional technical expertise may be required.

Before meeting with the laboratory, our internal and local teams align on the objectives of the assessment, relevant workflow steps, imaging and analysis requirements, integration considerations, and questions that may require additional technical support.

The assessment itself is intended to be a two-way conversation.

BioView brings expertise in automated imaging and analysis. The laboratory team brings detailed knowledge of its own processes, equipment, staffing considerations, and operational requirements. Bringing those perspectives together can provide a more realistic understanding of what implementation could look like.

From Product Demonstration to Workflow Evaluation

The objective of evaluating laboratory automation should not simply be to see whether a system performs well during a demonstration.

It should be to understand how the technology could function within your laboratory.

Where could it reduce manual intervention? How might it affect throughput? How will it interact with existing processes? What will operators still need to do? What exceptions need to be considered? And which questions require further technical evaluation?

A useful workflow assessment should help your team leave with a clearer understanding of how an automated imaging and analysis solution could fit into your workflow, which questions remain open, and what should be evaluated next.

Evaluating automation in your laboratory? Contact BioView to discuss a workflow assessment tailored to your processes, applications, and operational priorities.