A recent survey finds that 39% of more than 400 lab professionals polled say that staffing shortages are a significant obstacle to maintaining high standards of care.

The survey, conducted by Siemens Healthineers and The Harris Poll, offers a comprehensive look into the operational difficulties faced by clinical lab staff, revealing that these professionals are experiencing severe burnout and most lab professionals (83%) think demand for lab services will keep growing.

While more than half (52%) said they worry automation might take their jobs and 27% fear losing their job because of new technology, the vast majority (95%) said they believe automation will improve patient care.

Lab professionals said they would use the time saved by automation for training (46%), quality control (42%) and managing test samples (39%).

Almost nine in 10 (89%) respondents said their labs need automation to meet demand, while 91% of lab workers surveyed said they agreed AI tools can help with patient care challenges.

Lab workers indicated they know burnout can cause errors, from low-risk admin, documentation or repeat testing errors to more serious situations involving biohazard exposure or incorrect test results.

Fourteen percent of respondents admitted to a high-risk error, and 22% admitted to a low-risk error.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of those surveyed said have seen high-risk errors by others, and 25% have seen low-risk errors. Another 29% have not made errors but worry about it due to overwork.

Michele Zwickl, senior vice president of commercial laboratory solutions for Siemens Healthineers, North America, said what surprised her was the percentage of laboratory professionals who believe automation is the solution.

"With vacancy rates in labs rising and not enough laboratory professionals to fill the pipeline, nearly all laboratory professionals concur that automation will be a necessary solution to help address their most pressing challenges," she said.

The use of automation to alleviate the burden of repetitive tasks is essential not only for sustaining high-quality testing and allowing lab professionals to focus on critical operations, but also for ensuring the safety and well-being of both patients and staff, she added.

While the survey data revealed that AI integrated tools or technology is the fastest growth area laboratories are expecting over the next year (41%), fewer respondents believe the same for digital pathology/AI-driven diagnostics (34%).

"We take seriously that we’re in a safety-critical, highly regulated industry that exists the way it does to protect patients and ensure patient safety, and that requires added lenses through which we explore use cases for AI," Zwickl said.

She explained that every lab is structured differently, but generally speaking, there also needs to be buy-in across all levels to successfully integrate this technology.

"From the technicians and laboratory management to hospital executives or procurement who make financial decisions, there must be alignment across the board," she said.

From Zwickl's perspective, the data is clear that automation and AI can help alleviate some of the most pressing challenges facing clinical labs today.

"Together, stakeholders can integrate this technology to make labs more efficient and ultimately improve patient care," she said.

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.
Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com
Twitter: @dropdeaded209

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