HEALTHCARE TRACKER Urinalysis: Automation is leading the way

Shobhit Jain,Sr.Manager,Product

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Clinical

Chemistry,Urinalysis,Marketing Events

and Branding marketing,Sysmex highlights that automation has changed the way of testing, reporting and documentation of laboratories with improved quality and lowered TAT

Urine analysis is comprising of Physical, Routine and Microscopic examination. It is an integral part of clinical laboratories and one of the most performed diagnostic tests. This simple, noninvasive test is potent screening tool for clinicians, which can provide as much as possible information on the status of renal, urological, infection and metabolic function in the body. Apart from routine screening, it may also be helpful in uncovering status of disease that may not be showing significant signs or symptoms.

A lot of vital information can be obtained through urine examination, still its clinical utility is affected to a great extent by limitation of its conventional manual methods including bio-chemical and microscopy. Biochemical analysis is improved with reagent strips, but challenge remained in microscopic part. Other challenges like non standardization of process, person to person variation, centrifugation and slide preparation needed a whole automated system in place with minimum human involvement and maximize automation.

In last decade there were paradigm shift in laboratory operations and now automation is leading the way for Urinalysis testing. Technological advancement in biochemical analysis and microscopic examination in urinalysis has help to set and standardise process. Automation has changed the way of testing, reporting and documentation of laboratories with improved quality and lowered TAT.

Some of the key features of automation in Urinalysis are standardisation, quality control, added clinical values, data management, accuracy, and reproducibility.

Automation in Urinalysis can be further categorised in Bio-chemical analysis and Particle analysis (Microscopy). In Bio-chemical analysis, CMOS sensor has played a great role in identifying strip pad position, optimizing detection area, correction of abnormal coloration.

This cutting-edge technology has eliminated all possible errors due to manual process. Similarly, for particle analysis, Fluorescence Flow Cytometry technology has great advantage as it can recognize specific and unique properties of different particles by size, labeling DNA, complexity, and specific features, and so determining the particle type. Also, high accuracy of bacteria counts and, accurate differentiation in RBC morphology (Isomorphic and Dysmorphic) is helping in faster diagnosis and better patient care. Looking at the facts it can be concluded that future of urinalysis lies in automation.