Managing an automated clinical laboratory: optimization challenges and opportunities

In this paper, we analyze and discuss the optimization challenges and opportunities raised by the decision of building an automated clinical laboratory in a hospital unit. We first describe the general decision setting from a strategic, tactical and operational perspective. We then focus on the analysis of a practical case, i.e., the Central Laboratory of a large urban academic teaching hospital in the North of Italy, the ‘Spedali Civili’ in Brescia. We will describe the present situation and the research opportunities related to the study of possible improvements of the management of the laboratory.