What drives decisions about a patient’s medical care? About two-thirds of the time, medical decisions are based on the results of laboratory tests. Therefore, test results must be accurate and timely.
Laboratory testing is the highest volume medical activity that impacts our health. Approximately 13 billion lab tests have normally been performed in the United States each year.
Behind the scenes, medical laboratory professionals work diligently to deliver these test results. There is a critical shortage of laboratory staff, however, that has developed over at least two decades.
The number of people entering the medical laboratory field hasn’t kept up with retirements. Employee burnout due to the demands of COVID-19 has also contributed to the shortage. The influence of larger trends in education and employment means there aren’t enough laboratory professionals to fulfill the needs of our healthcare system.
Clinical laboratories are facing unprecedented challenges with staffing. A medical laboratory professional’s time is valuable. When lab personnel are stretched, implementing measures to save staff time contributes to a better work environment and operational efficiencies for the hospital.
Labs use cold storage equipment to safeguard patient specimens, reagents, and media. To ensure accurate test results and regulatory compliance, it is important to store items within the correct temperature range. If the manufacturer of the stored product defines a required storage temperature range, the temperature must be monitored daily.
Manual temperature monitoring is time-consuming. However, there is an alternative that frees up technologist time for more valuable activities; i.Series® lab refrigerators and freezers from Helmer Scientific feature the i.C3® Information Center.
The i.C3® saves time and supports compliance by automatically monitoring the temperature inside a laboratory refrigerator or freezer. High or low temperature alarms activate if the temperature exceeds or falls below the alarm limits. Additional features, such as downloadable temperature graphs and event logs, also save time by providing documentation for regulatory compliance.
When your lab is short-staffed, having medical laboratory professionals perform manual temperature checks daily consumes valuable time that could be spent more productively. i.Series® refrigerators and freezers with the i.C3® save staff time by taking care of monitoring requirements and supporting compliance.
Other Blogs You Might Be Interested In...
- Centrifuge Solutions for Clinical Labs
- GX Solutions Undercounter Cold Storage Supports Operational Efficiencies
- Video Series: i.C3® Intelligent Monitoring for Clinical Labs
- GX Solutions Refrigerators Support Sustainability & Reduce Cost of Ownership
A series of videos has been created to demonstrate the major functions of the i.C3® Information Center. In addition to an overview, the series covers the event log, download, and automatic alarm test functions, plus more.
All the videos have been gathered on a single web page for your convenience.
