Djen S. Chiu
MT 14-BB

With the advent of modern technology, clinical laboratories and institutions have progressed to cater to numerous groups of people. To better establish an efficient diagnostic laboratory, implementing a Laboratory Information System (LIS) helps track information from their large repository of patient data. Since laboratory results constitute the majority of clinical diagnoses, the LIS serves as a fast-acting support for health practitioners to meet growing workload demands in the clinical laboratory.

According to Medical Laboratory Management and Supervision: Operations, Review, and Study Guide (Varnadoe, 1996), a Laboratory Information System (LIS) is “a complete network of computer components designed to incorporate all aspects of the informational needs of the laboratory and its customers from the intake of requests for services and the processing of workflow to the delivery of the results.” Better storage, management, and processing of patient data improves the quality of services an institution provides. These are then transported to electronic health records (EHR) that also help enhance the management and analysis of incoming laboratory results with consideration to patients’ needs (How Can Electronic Lab Results Help Me Improve Patient Care? | HealthIT.gov, n.d.).

For future reference, the LIS provides updated information on every patient (inpatient and outpatient) from different laboratory areas. This information entails receiving test orders, forwarding them to laboratory analyzers, tracking, interpreting test results, and transmitting them to an EHR. The LIS can help improve the overall efficiency and flawless workflow in a clinical laboratory by “supporting decision-making, ensuring consistent execution of procedures that increase laboratory productivity, and automating proper billing” (Orchard Software, 2023).

The LIS’s organized functionality is due to the integrated processes of three major components: sample tracking, implementing protocol, and storage organization. Sample tracking involves recording and tracking sample information upon access. Details such as collection date, unique ID, patients’ names, source, quantitative information, type of sample, batch number, et cetera are some of the key information that is to be written in electronic format or barcode to easily locate its progression (Shrestha & Shrestha, 2022).

As it progresses, the LIS then records derived sample data, test results, and time-based study metrics (Core Components of Laboratory Information Management System, 2021). Furthermore, it also tracks the personnel interacting with the sample and where they handled it. Consequently, the results of every test the sample underwent is provided.

To standardize the laboratory’s workflow, another component, protocol execution, ensures that every laboratory technician follows a specific procedure in processing certain samples. The system provides standard operating procedures (SOP) or sequenced steps for laboratory personnel to follow. This results in the consistency of sample processing across the laboratory or institution despite the difference in lab technicians performing the tests (Shrestha & Shrestha, 2022).

For the fast and productive location of samples throughout their lifecycle in the laboratory, a storage hierarchy is established through the last major LIS component: storage organization. Samples or specimens with the same collection date or belonging to the same batch are grouped, placed in the same container or shelf rack, and then placed inside a freezer. The LIS keeps track of this information as well as the room number in which they are stored (Core Components of Laboratory Information Management System, 2021).

Similarly, a Laboratory Information Management System (LIS) is constituted of the same three major components and therefore functions the same way the LIS does. The only difference is that the LIMS focuses on the standardization and regulation of workflow and processes not only limited to public health (CliniSys, 2023). It was “originally developed for use in environmental, research, or commercial analysis such as testing for pharmaceutical, food and beverage, environmental, cannabis, petrochemical, metals, manufacturing, quality assurance, et cetera” (Orchard Software, 2023b).

In summary, both Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) operate through three synchronized main components to support the informational needs of a clinical laboratory and product manufacturers respectively. Together, they develop systematic procedures in a laboratory, productively track specimens or samples, and improve turnaround times.

References
CliniSys. (2023, September 6). LIS and LIMS – Laboratory Software Solution – Lab Informatics – Clinisys. Clinisys. https://www.clinisys.com/us/en/clinisys-platform/laboratory-platform-the-future-for-lis-and-lims/#:~:text=An%20LIS%20is%20typically%20limited,%2C%20public%20health%2C%20and%20environmental.
Core components of Laboratory Information Management System. (2021, August 9). VB Monster. https://vbmonster.com/core-components-of-laboratory-information-management-system/
How can electronic lab results help me improve patient care? | HealthIT.gov. (n.d.). https://www.healthit.gov/faq/how-can-electronic-lab-results-help-me-improve-patient-care
Orchard Software. (2023a, July 19). What is LIS Software and How Does it Work? | Orchard Software. https://www.orchardsoft.com/resources/learn-about-lis/#:~:text=A%20laboratory%20information%20system%20(LIS)%20is%20a%20healthcare%20software%20solution,to%20laboratory%20processes%20and%20testing.
Orchard Software. (2023b, August 23). What is the difference between an LIS & a LIMS? – Orchard Software. https://www.orchardsoft.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-an-lis-a-lims/
Shrestha, A., & Shrestha, A. (2022). Laboratory Information System (LIS). Microbe Online. https://microbeonline.com/laboratory-information-system-lis/
Varnadoe, L. A. (1996). Medical laboratory management and supervision: Operations, Review, and Study Guide.