The conference was focused on the present and the expected evolution of automation in the medical field, with special attention to the in- vitro diagnostics area.

Robin Felder, Professor of Pathology at Virginia University and one of the most appreciated experts about automation, gave a lecture on “Improving HealthCare Quality and Efficiency through the Development of Advanced Diagnostics Technologies” in which he described the most important features of an effective automation with an exciting overview of future products which will allow to totally redesign the way of doing certain type of diagnosis.

The other speeches focused on the project recently completed at Stichting Huisartsen Laboratorium (SHL) in Etten Leur where a new Total Laboratory Solution (TLA) has been adopted through the introduction of a FlexLab 3.6 system with 17 analyzers connected to run the daily workload of 7-8,000 tubes in full automation for the disciplines of Clinical Chemistry, Immunochemistry, Haematology, E.S.R., Glycated Hemoglobin and Allergy.