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Laboratory Information System
A Laboratory Information System (LIS) is a software system that tracks, records, updates, and manages the data gathered from patients for future use in the clinical and anatomical pathology laboratory. It is a healthcare system that incorporates technology to expedite and improve laboratory services.

Function of the Laboratory Information System
The LIS has many functions that workers can use in the laboratory. One is to input data, whether it be manual entry or automated entry. The LIS can record the laboratory data, including the patient’s name and the test result.

Through the data gathered, the LIS serves as a database and preserves it for later consultations. The LIS can store the registration of the test, confirmation of specimen collection, the result, and even billing, which makes it a convenient database that future clinical sessions can use.

The LIS can also process the data gathered and register it to the system. Aside from recording the data, it can also process it and generate information from the input. The LIS can provide statistical, preliminary, final, and daily reports. This makes the LIS not a database software but even more than that.

Components of Laboratory Information System
The three main components of a quality LIS include Sample Tracking, Protocol Execution, and Storage Organization. One of the main advantages of using an LIS is that it is consistent and free from human error, unlike using spreadsheets from multiple people in the laboratory. These three components ensure a smooth and accurate way of handling data.

As one of the main functions of an LIS is to store data, sample tracking is its main component. The sample tracking component of an LIS records the ID of the sample, date of collection, quantity data, result, and even who came in contact with the sample and its placement. This component ensures that there is tracking and recording of every information of the sample.

A good LIS also has a protocol execution as one of the components of the LIS. Aside from storing and processing data, an LIS can standardize the laboratory rules, workflow, steps, and procedures. This ensures that the work is consistent and up to the laboratory’s standard operating procedure, no matter who is doing the test. Using a protocol execution ensures that each sample processing is correct and done in the right order with the proper steps.

Storage organization is the last component of an LIS that aids the workers in navigating the database. The LIS tracks the location of the data, including the placement of the vial or tube, which freezer or cabinet, which rack, in what room. The system records the sample’s exact location, making it a breeze to locate when needed.

How an LIS works
The LIS works as a combination of the three components. The Sample tracking ensures that the system records every single piece of data and information. The protocol execution enables the workers to work according to the standards of the laboratory. The storage organization allows the workers to locate the sample quickly. It synergizes the three components and provides centralized data that laboratory workers can easily access. Laboratories work on a massive amount of data every day, which is why it is easy for human error to occur. Multiple people also perform in the laboratory, which could affect the quality of work, and it is hard to stay connected with the other workers. Scavenging through multiple rooms, shelves, and boxes to find a sample amongst thousands of samples could also take a lot of time and effort, which is why an LIS eliminates these kinds of concerns and issues through its components.

References:
CloudLIMS. (2023, August 25). What is a LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)?: Definition, Purpose, & Benefits of LIMS. CloudLIMS. https://cloudlims.com/what-is-a-lims/#:~:text=As%20a%20sample%20is%20introduced,to%20maintain%20the%20audit%20trail.
Orchard Software. (2023, July 19). What is LIS Software and How Does it Work? | Orchard Software. https://www.orchardsoft.com/resources/learn-about-lis/#:~:text=An%20LIS%20is%20a%20software,to%20an%20EHR%2C%20practice%20management
Third Wave Analytics. (2023, July 28). What is a LIMS and What are They Used for? Third Wave Analytics. https://thirdwaveanalytics.com/blog/what-does-a-lims-do/