Is Not Investing in a LIMS System Costing You Money?

A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is a software program that aids in the automation of almost every process in a laboratory. A good LIMS system can save your laboratory time and money and documents each process, ensuring that you can account for everything that goes on in your laboratory.

This article is the first of a series of newsletters that will explain the key features of an ideal LIMS. The articles will also cover benefits of a good LIMS system and how it can save your laboratory time and money.

Despite having access to some of the most technologically advanced machinery in the world, many laboratories still rely on the good old paper trail to get samples from the receiving point to the reporting phase.

Even though laboratory information management systems (LIMS) have been available for years, many laboratories still don't have what it takes to be more profitable.

A good LIMS system, like QBCon's Lab-i, provides a framework that allows laboratory management to fully manage each aspect of their business, from finances right through to reporting.

To show how a good LIMS system like Lab-i makes your laboratory more profitable and easier to manage, we will follow one sample for its duration in the laboratory:

When a batch of samples reaches the laboratory, it is entered into the Lab-i program. By making a simple selection a list of tests to be performed is automatically loaded into the system.

Once the batch of samples is entered into the system, Lab-i generates a unique bar code for each sample. The required tests are automatically linked to the bar code, eliminating the need to compile lists of tests to be performed.

Because each bar code is unique, the bar coding system allows management to track exactly where in the laboratory each sample is. This also allows management to determine when a batch will be ready for collection.

With Lab-i's unique scanning system, all information relevant to the sample, including the tests to be performed and the results of tests that have already been performed, is displayed the minute the barcode is scanned in by the analyst.

Once the tests have been performed, the analyst simply enters their findings into the system and the sample is ready for the next test. In some cases the machinery used for testing can download the results directly into the system, eliminating the need for manual data capturing. Once all the required tests have been performed, Lab-i automatically analyses the results and draws up reports on the results.

Accountability is a very important and challenging part of the management process, which is why Lab-i comes fitted with a biometric system. Each staff member with access to the system uses a fingerprint scanner to log in.

The biometric system allows laboratory management to track exactly which analyst came into contact with the sample and when. Because analysts can only gain access to the system by use of their fingerprint, each analyst can be held fully accountable for tests performed.

This process, from the reception of the batch through to reporting, is fully documented and stored on the Lab-i database.

With all the test information available at the touch of a button, factors like accountability, sample tracking and process management becomes a no brainer. The bar coding system completely eliminates the need for a paper trail, enabling analysts to process more samples per day.

A good LIMS system like Lab-i can transform your laboratory into a profitable business.

In the next Lab-i newsletter we will discuss how Lab-i can save your laboratory time.