[Histonet] RE: Adopting a bar code system

[Morken, Timothy]

Hi Teri, 

First, is this for research or clinical? The two workflows and needs may be entirely different. The major systems on the market for clinical  histology may not work very well in a research setting as they are aimed at streamlining the normal histology workflow and are fairly rigid in their structure. Research usually has much more going on and many more branches to consider and you will want a system that is flexible and customizable. Other systems that are designed for research warrant investigation.

Second, if you are starting from coding the cassettes, then the cassette is going to be the critical link to the histology lab and you must do everything possible to get the very best result on cassette printing. Otherwise you will build in failure downstream. There are pros and cons to each cassette printer - some have extra bulky components that may not fit your lab. Some are big, but fast, others small but slow. You have to fit them to your lab. 

Downstream you have to think about how you are going to use coding in each section, what room you have for computers, monitors, scanners etc. It adds up.  Also look into the infrastructure for data wiring. That is often a limitation that has to be addressed. 

Tim Morken

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Teri Johnson
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 10:45 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Adopting a bar code system

Hi Histonetters,

I am interested in hearing from folks who went from a manual histology system to a barcoding system. I would like to look into to adopting bar coding and want to know the pitfalls, issues, and your successes in doing so.

Thanks!

Teri Johnson, HT(ASCP)QIHC
GNF Histology Lab Manager
Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
858-332-4752

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