Name: Irish L. Carpio October 1, 2023
BSMT- I M T14 – Lecture

Learning through writing: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills through writing assignments

The laboratory information system is software that manages, stores, and keeps track of the patient and specimen’s data. It helps support the healthcare clinical setting and incorporates all the needs of its consumers, from the requests for services to the delivery of results.

With the help of the laboratory information system, it makes the job easier for the people working in the medical field and helps improve laboratory workflow efficiency. LIS aids in the tracking of the specimen as well as in storing and processing a patient’s information.

The LIS provides information about patient parameters, including the identification of the patient, admission date, discharge date, etc. It also records test information for specimen tracking, including the requisition, progress, and results.

A laboratory information system (LIS) consists of three major components: tracking samples, implementing protocol, and managing storage. For it to function, these components have to work in synchronicity.

Tracking samples is the main component of a laboratory information system as it is the most valuable item in a clinical laboratory. It includes the information of the patients, the type of sample, and the details of the progression of the sample.

Keeping track of samples helps to produce a clear report of all the tests done on the specimen in one document. Yet, implementing protocol improves the standard laboratory workflow. Through implementing protocols, the system helps generate operating procedures for processing samples.

The LIS helps provide strict protocols to maintain quality tests and grants visibility based on authorization. The last component of the laboratory information system is managing sample storage. This part of the system keeps track of the placement of samples in the laboratory.

Managing sample storage is essential in the laboratory information system because it makes it easier to locate samples and keep a laboratory organized. Each mentioned component is significant since a functioning laboratory information system requires them.

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is a system used across a wide range of industries and research institutions. It is a system to track, organize, centralize, and standardize the samples in a laboratory.

The primary goal of a LIMS in a laboratory is to improve operational efficiency by automating and streamlining workflows, doing away with the manual method of managing information, and adhering to regulatory requirements.

A laboratory information management system (LIMS) covers the journey of a sample from the beginning of its life cycle until the finish. It includes the stages of Sample Storage, Testing, Reporting, and Archiving.

The laboratory information management system works as the sample enters the lab by registering it and giving it a unique identification number. The data updates in LIMS as the specimen moves through the lab, maintaining the audit trail.

To summarize, the laboratory information management system (LIMS) helps manage the flow of samples and data, allowing laboratories to use it to make data-driven decisions.

Today, there is a significant functional overlap between the two systems, and the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) include many capabilities that complement the typical functionality of the other.