LESSON 10

• Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)


  Software designed to make labs more efficient and effective, especially those that process massive amounts of samples for research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and medical research
• Functional requirements and features of LIMS

  • Sample Management
  • Workflow Management
  • Reporting
  • EMR/EHR
• Sample Management


  • Accurate, detailed records are essential to making sure everything gets done and done right
  • Records information such as who/what the sample was taken from, which researchers/providers are working with it, where it's been and where it needs to go next, how to store it, when it does need to move
• Workflow Management


  • Automates workflows and record keeping, delegates decision-making to the software, can automatically assign work to scientists and suggest instruments based on preset rules, provides information on what to do with a sample and where it needs to go next
• Reporting


  • Ability to quickly pull reports to answer questions such as which instruments get used the most, how long the sample backlog is, and how long it takes the lab to process a sample
  • Provides data for analysis, auditing and audit trail
  • Some LIMS have more granular reporting capabilities than others
• EMR/EHR


  • Some LIMS have EHR functionality built-in, including patient check-in and billing
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released an "Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories standard (29 CFR 1910.1450)" in 2011 to facilitate laboratory safety
• Laboratory


  A facility where the "laboratory use of hazardous chemicals" occurs. It is a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a non-production basis
• Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals


  Handling or use of such chemicals in which protective laboratory practices and equipment are available and in common use to minimize the potential for worker exposure, and any hazardous chemical use which does not meet this definition is regulated under other standards
• Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)


  The laboratory's program that addresses all aspects of the procurement, storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals in use in a facility. It must address virtually every aspect of the Laboratory standard
• Primary elements of a CHP

  • Minimizing exposure to chemicals by establishing standard operating procedures, requirements for personal protective equipment, engineering controls, and waste disposal procedures
  • Designating responsible persons for procurement and handling of Material Safety Data Sheets, organizing training sessions, monitoring employee work practices, and annual revision of the CHP
• Patient Registration


  When you arrive at the hospital, the Admission Clerk will take some basic information and then will guide you to a registration window
• Billing


  The process of generating SOAs or Billing Statements of Inpatients, Outpatients, and Emergencies are the same
• Contract Management


  Most LIMS allow the laboratory professional to manage the billing and payment aspects of their activities and create statistical and billing reports at par with the laboratory and management needs
• Quality Control


  Diagnostic tests executed inside the clinical laboratory may yield two kinds of results, a patient result or a quality control (QC) result. Quality control results are used to verify whether or not the instrument is working within prescribed parameters, confirming that patient test results are reliable
• LIMS Quality Control Functions


  • Enable users to set standards about the relevant range of patient test results or extract test result information for quality assurance
  • Can flag outliers and deviations, and provide appropriate warning signals to notify users of issues that might involve the quality of the samples or the equipment currently in use
• Barcode-generation, Printing, and Reading


  • LIMS modules are commonly linked to a bar-coding label generator, enabling a fast and easy method to identify tubes, samples, documents, among many others
  • Barcode editor allows multiple labels to be printed at a label printer
  • Barcode series can usually be customized to suit the organization or classification needs
  • Allows effortless finding and retrieving of information about a tube, a specimen, or equipment within the laboratory using a barcode scanner
• In-Built Bi-Directional Interfaces with Equipment

  • Involves true two-way communication between the analyzer (equipment) and information system interface
  • The LIMS interface downloads specimen ID and test orders, while the analyzer uploads specimen ID and test results
  • Saves the technologist time to program test orders into the analyzer, and eliminates errors in manual entry
  • Provides automatic positive specimen ID capability by incorporating bar code specimen label scanning
• Accounts Receivables


  • The LIMS can generate specific or complete Accounts Receivable reports, monitor balances for reconciliation and audit purposes, export data to other accounting systems, and customize reports according to specifications
• Work List and Workflow


  • LIMS assist laboratories in setting priorities of current workloads, based on analyst and instrument availability
  • Allows tracking a sample, a batch of samples, or a "lot" of batches through its lifecycle
  • Queuing can be done by sample or by workflow, a block of repetitive procedures in a certain process
  • Queuing and work list feature provide an insight into when an event occurred, how long it was, and who was involved
  • Enable personnel and workload management, allowing users to plan workload schedules and assignments, and employee information and training