The Role of Laboratory Information System
Initially, the Laboratory information management system was used to save the records of test samples, patient information, donor details, test results, and other such information. From the inception, the laboratory management system keeps tracking and recording the information manually. Manual labeling and recording is the traditional method. Computers then came into the scene, thus transferring the healthcare solutions simpler.
Advancement in the technology put a trajectory to Laboratory Information Management System. It paved way for numerous software that can reduce the manual work as well as keep the track record safe, easy to access, edit, or download documents. LIMS software appears efficient to manage and keep track of the patients, laboratory, pathology, and more.
What is a Laboratory Information Management System?
A Laboratory Information Management System is software that is used to keep a record of the laboratory test samples, test results, patient blood samples, donor lists, and other particulars. Earlier healthcare industries used manual methods to save the information and keep recording. It became tedious to search for the particular information they require. After the evolution of the computer, it became easy to store and fetch information.
As the technology grows, software and other applications come into the market. This software is designed in such a way to meet all the laboratory needs. It manages all the services like customer-oriented services, invoicing services, patient reports, samples, and tests performed by the laboratory. LIMS has become essential software for the healthcare industry in recent times. It manages the entire laboratory system with laboratory information management software.
Purpose of a Laboratory Management System
The main purpose of the Laboratory Information Management System is to improve the productivity of the laboratory. It helps manage all the data related to the samples, tests, and reports performed by the laboratory. Apart from that, there are many things a LIMS handle like
1. Workflow of the hospital
2. Reports Management
3. Inventory Management
4. Specimen Processing
5. Sample Management
6. Database Management
Workflow Management
Every organization has its hierarchy and similarly, the healthcare industry has hierarchical management. The access control or permission to access any data, process, or use the data can be customized. The workflow management shows the managerial details of the hospital or laboratory. It defines their roles and responsibilities to perform their tasks effectively.
Reports Management
The crucial part of laboratory management is the reports management. Numerous patients come to hospitals with millions of diseases every day. The laboratory performs collecting blood samples, urine samples, cells, and more. It tests all collected samples of the patients, prepares the reports, and delivers to the patients on time. Maintaining these reports is essential as there may be a requirement for these reports in the future.
Inventory Management
Healthcare is a huge sector where maintaining records, files, and bills are quite difficult. In order to make it easy we use the Laboratory Information Management System. It also helps to manage the inventory system. The inventory management system includes warehouse information, in-house pharmacy details, purchase, and sales. Keep recording this information will help in managing the financial information as well. This helps manage your supply chain effectively.
Specimen Processing
Specimen processing is a crucial process where accuracy is important. Healthcare sectors collect specimens for testing abnormalities or for doing researches. It not only checks the abnormalities of the patient but also analyses the pathological factors. Storing these details can help in future analysis.
Sample Management
Storing the sample in the laboratory from the day it arrived till the day of issuing a report is important. Store the sample in the lab, test those samples for diagnosis, save few samples for future enhancement and expansion. It reduces the risk of losing sample or sample-related information. Keep tracking of the sample every day to diagnose deep and gain better results. LIMS generated reports automatically after successful diagnosing of the samples.
Database Management
Storing and Managing data associated w samples, inventory, specimen, out-patients and pharmacy services at a single place is complex. Database management is necessary to store all the data, visualize, segment the data, and retrieve whenever necessary. It helps generate Electronic Health Report (EHR) from the database. Storing data in the computer or cloud storage can help to update, edit, download, or print receipts easily.
Conclusion
To improve the efficiency and performance Laboratory Information Management System can be a good solution. A well-designed LIM software can structure and handle everything related to the healthcare industry. This is reliable, advanced software with enhanced features to execute all the operations performed in the laboratory.
