Laboratory Information System
An LIS, or Laboratory Information System, is a software now used in clinical laboratories and healthcare institutions. These are systems that support healthcare in clinical settings and patient-specific samples. Like other databases in other industries, a LIS processes, stores, and manages data associated with patient laboratory processes and testing. It can gather test requests, send them to laboratory analysts, monitor order, results, and quality, and send them to the system as a patient’s record. Laboratory information systems track, store, and update patient information throughout a provider visit and then store it in its database for later use. For huge healthcare providers, LIS may include decision-support criteria that guide and are vital in coordinating workflow and ensuring the accuracy of inpatient and outpatient medical tests in the following areas: chemistry, hematology, immunology, microbiology, toxicology, public health, and other laboratory sciences. Utilization of LIS enables the lab to participate in the findings of treatments and provider assessments of patient health status, as it employs advanced laboratory information technologies.

A good LIMS should have three primary elements: sample tracking, protocol execution, and storage organization, according to Thirdwave Analytics. A LIMS is a crucial tool in laboratory operations to track a lab sample from arrival to testing and storage. It captures data such as sample ID, source, collection date, and quantitation information. As the specimen progresses, additional data is captured, including test results, derived sample data, and time-based study metrics. The LIMS system also tracks who has interacted with the sample and its location throughout its lifecycle. This valuable data is stored in the LIMS system, ensuring accurate identification from other specimens in the pool. The LIMS is also crucial in standardizing a lab’s workflows and underlying protocols. It ensures that each lab tech follows the specific steps in a published Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) when processing a sample, ensuring accurate and repeatable results. LIMS software manages test assignments, sets the appropriate protocol for each specimen, and provides stringent version control measures. It records, approves, and distributes the lab results to necessary team members via reports, ensuring a consistent and accurate laboratory environment. A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) tracks the location of a sample throughout its laboratory lifecycle via a specific tube or vial box, drawer, rack, shelf, and freezer room. This “storage hierarchy” helps locate samples quickly in busy laboratories, ensuring productivity, organization, and efficiency for research teams. The LIMS plays a crucial role in maintaining accurate and efficient laboratory operations.

Having a centralized system to manage all the auxiliary lab components used to carry out a workflow is one of the main advantages of LIMS software. Information on studies, tools, and inventories may all be kept in one place and made available to the lab staff as needed. The LIMS software is also involved in study management, centralizing data management for lab samples collected for higher-level research projects. This system organizes related samples under the appropriate study or project, allowing researchers to group subjects into cohorts with associated visits, ensuring robust data management. Inventory management is crucial for lab operations, especially in the supply handling of reagents and chemical inventory. A LIMS is a vital tool for tracking inventory, enabling efficient re-ordering and reducing errors. It automatically marks supplies as consumed, reducing delays and improving efficiency. LIMS also tracks lot numbers, ensuring accurate recording of specific reagents for future audit purposes. Lab instrumentation, including liquid handlers, QC instrumentation, and sequencers, requires reliable maintenance and calibration for accurate test data. A LIMS tracks these activities, alerting users when maintenance is pending or overdue and addressing any issues with lab instrumentation as they arise. Collaboration functionality in LIMS software enhances data collection and analysis. It details protocol duration, sample throughput, reagent expiration, and instrument uptime. Dashboards offer high-level trending, displaying submissions over time, lab staff utilization, and sample status, making data valuable and efficient.