An instrument capable of performing multiple tests on a sample and performing only those tests that are programmed is called which type?

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The main idea is flexibility in testing: an instrument that can handle multiple different tests on the same sample and only runs the tests that are requested or programmed for that sample. That describes a random access instrument.

Random access means the analyzer can accept a specimen and perform any subset of tests in any order, often driven by the order in the LIS or the clinician’s requests. It supports selecting different panels or single tests for each sample, enables STAT testing, and reports results as soon as each test is completed. This stands in contrast to a batch analyzer, which typically waits to accumulate samples and then performs the same test on all of them together, lacking the per-sample flexibility.

Total Laboratory Automation refers to the overall automated workflow of an entire lab, integrating instruments, robotics, and information systems, not to a single instrument type. A bar-code label is for identifying samples, not describing an instrument’s testing capability.

So, the instrument described is a random access instrument.