At the same time, however, the pandemic has also revealed limits. On the one hand, the laboratories' ability to work was limited by the availability of reagents and consumables, for which there were repeated supply problems. On the other hand, the employees also reached their limits, given the high number of tests that had to be performed. To ensure that the fight against future pandemics is no longer hampered by these problems, sustainable and secure supply chains need to be established for laboratory supplies.
We also need to support and relieve the burden on staff. This, in turn, can be achieved through increasing digitization and automation of laboratories. Laboratory automatons that process and evaluate samples independently, but still need to be operated by a human, have been around for a long time. They already represent a great relief, for example in mass testing. Complete laboratory lines that can perform a series of sequential tasks are also becoming increasingly widespread. In addition, laboratory robots are being developed which, in theory, should be able to carry out even complex procedures completely autonomously and around the clock.
However, the evolution of the laboratory also means that it is becoming less important - at least as a physical location. Point-of-care testing devices are conquering situations where traditional laboratory diagnostics take too long. The use of these devices eliminates transportation for samples, dependence on lab working hours, and therefore waiting time for results. While this is an increase in convenience for patients in doctors' offices because physicians receive results after a short time, it can save lives in emergency medicine or at intensive care units.
Regardless of how and where lab work is done, we should be aware of the many ways it holds medicine together. World Laboratory Day aims to raise awareness of this achievement. To contribute, users can use the hashtag #WorldLaboratoryDay on social media to share stories and achievements from their own lab.
