In many diseases, early diagnosis is strongly related with the prognosis and the clinical outcomes. For instance, the early identification of cancer lesions may allow for surgical removal with less invasive intervention and, most importantly, the prevention of spreading and metastases to other body sites.

Similarly, a timely identification of viral or bacterial infection may make immediate therapy possible, thus preventing further organ damages. A Diagnostic Lab should be organized in order to avoid any kind of mistakes, including false positive or false negative results, samples loss or alteration, and patients’ change. False positive and negative results can be prevented by using a validated procedure to test samples; patient and sample related issues can be overcome with a better organization of the work-flow.

Many strategies can be adopted to simplify and optimize the transition of sample from patient to lab and the delivery of results from lab to patient. The availability of an automated system that manages samples, data sheets, records may represent an added value for a Diagnostic lab. These LIM based systems are certified and can generate labels, barcodes and accession numbers, thus reducing manually created errors; results can be directly accessible to patients on-line.

These tools are essential in a model lab and should be always advanced and up-graded to guarantee the best performances.