How Digital Water Management Drives Lab Efficiency
A digital solution lets laboratory staff focus on critical tasks
Water purity is one of the simplest—but most frequently overlooked—factors contributing to the success and accuracy of diagnostics. Bacterial contamination from purified water can be a source of interaction in various assays and should be reduced as much as possible. A water purification system can be set up to direct-feed various analyzers, providing them with the required volume of water at the right level of purity, and more. Clinical laboratories require a system that will perform this basic function to save time and allow laboratory staff to focus on critical operations.
The need for efficiency
In busy clinical laboratories, efficiency is key. In addition to preparing and analyzing a large number of samples each day, laboratory staff must also perform training, certification, instrument maintenance, documentation, and quality monitoring. It can be a challenge for a clinical laboratory to complete all the necessary tasks in the run of a day, week, or month.
Easy ways to improve efficiency include opting for instruments and equipment that work without interruption, offer greater walk-away time, and require minimal maintenance and management by busy laboratory staff. High-quality service must also be easily accessible to reduce downtime and prevent workflow interruptions.
Answering the need: Digital water purification systems
Greater efficiency can be achieved with the help of water purification systems with digital design and services. Milli-Q® water purification technologies leverage digital capabilities to boost efficiency in the clinical laboratory. These systems provide pure water required for assays and analyzers, are simple to use, and increase walk-away time, so that staff can focus on critical tasks.
Replacing purification cartridges can be a cumbersome task that interrupts workflows and reduces productivity. Milli-Q® systems are designed for quick and easy cartridge changes that can be managed in-house, as there is no need to open the water system. With the help of on-screen guides, RFID tag automatic recognition, and an ergonomic pack-locking system, users can quickly and easily replace purification cartridges and carry on with operations.
Waiting for a water purification system to finish filling an analyzer or vessel wastes valuable time and slows workflows. With walk-away filling, there is no need to stand and wait for the system to feed a reservoir. Automatic dispense mode allows laboratory staff to focus on other tasks while the containers are filled to a set volume. Relevant alerts and notifications pertaining to the water system are sent by SMS or email with MyMilli-Q™ remote services.
Total traceability
Highly regulated clinical laboratories require traceable solutions to conform to CLSI® and accreditation to the ISO 15189:2012 standard supported by CAP 15189SM accreditation. E-record archiving facilitates accreditation—and improves efficiency—as all data is automatically stored so laboratory staff are not responsible for manual documentation.
Milli-Q® water purification systems automatically record all water quality parameters, volumes, and system events for greater efficiency, and to ensure important data points are never missed. Purification cartridges are also automatically traced with RFID technology, and the Event Traceability tool makes it easy to view alarm, alerts, and maintenance events over a specified timeline. This also makes it easier to plan for future maintenance and ensure the system is not offline at critical timepoints.
Fast remote access
Online contract management simplifies the care of water purification systems and offers valuable time-saving features. MyMilli-Q™ is a digital service that simplifies management and allows users to track service history, download service reports, manage consumable deliveries, schedule maintenance, and more. Laboratories benefit from consolidated information available at-a-glance, streamlined audit preparation, and easily traceable service history.
Milli-Q® Remote Care, an embedded feature of MyMilli-Q™, enables remote access to the status of the water system connected to clinical analyzers. 24/7 remote access to real-time water purification system information and water quality data provides assurance of the laboratory’s performance.
Clinical laboratories require a reliable supply of pure water for accurate diagnostics, as well as water purification system features that enhance efficiency. Milli-Q® water purification technologies combine digital design and services to create a highly efficient water management solution.