Today’s labs are facing numerous challenges, from limited staff to limitations in workflows causing low throughput. Unfortunately, many labs still rely on manual processes and obsolete equipment to perform routine tasks, leading to precision issues in output.
Upgrading information systems and equipment can help labs operate efficiently and effectively while limiting errors and reducing costs.
Nowadays, technology has become predominant in all industries and is an excellent tool to enhance performance, boost efficiency and improve productivity. However, the rising demand for testing cases has put immense pressure on laboratories, which are already trying to keep up with the workload, inadequate workforce, and budget cuts.
To tackle these issues, updating lab technology can be an excellent relief for lab staff. Let’s dive in to learn more about the ways incorporating technology in a lab setting can help:
Ways To Upgrade Your Lab Technology
1. Laboratory Information Systems (LIS)
In today’s technology-driven world, redefining and reshaping the way labs operate by reducing unnecessary stressors is essential. Integrating an all-inclusive lab information system is unavoidable to guarantee performance and accuracy. The LIS can enhance various processes by tracking, automating, simplifying, and completing complicated cases faster and more precisely.
These systems can store patients’ data appropriately for later use. The user-friendly interface helps health practitioners access patient history, view case studies, add notes if required, and save patients’ data at different stages. They also allow easy interaction of lab staff with peers and accessible communication between departments.
To ensure seamless operability, laboratories must upgrade to comprehensive, leading-edge information systems. These systems must be designed explicitly as a single web-based platform and integrated with specialized tools. LIS software like NovoPath is an excellent example of such a system and is the best fit for lab space. This software can automate lab operations, streamline workflows, and diagnose and generate customized reports.
LIS software helps medical professionals and lab technicians with an innovative SaaS-based platform. This feature allows diagnostic labs to add molecular and genomic ancillary tests to anatomic workflows. Additionally, it offers the following features:
- It allows you to perform multiple tests from a single specimen and combines the results into a comprehensive and easy-to-read report.
- It enables customizable user views allowing lab staff to view and interact with data in new ways and configure views based on workflows.
- Another highlight is role-based security. Access to LIS is allowed based on the user’s authorization level.
2. Upgrade the lab equipment
Technology is continuously evolving, but some laboratories are still using obsolete equipment. With the advanced information system in place, gathering data and storing Information in old equipment takes time and effort. Restructuring the processes by upgrading equipment can help. In addition, modern equipment uses state-of-the-art software and user-friendly interfaces, which makes uploading data from equipment to an information system much more manageable.
Information systems and equipment integration can improve customer service by reducing the time to process samples and generate reports. It will have a positive impact on workload and overall performance. The upgradation will help accomplish routine tasks efficiently without interruptions and downtime usually caused by worn-out machines.
This automation can speed up lab processes and increase sample throughput. In addition, it can save employees’ time by relieving them from recurring tasks. It thereby boosts employee satisfaction and retention. It also minimizes human errors and produces more consistent results.
3. Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
Along with LIS, LIMS is equally vital while upgrading lab technology. LIS manages records and stores patients’ testing data in clinical and pathology laboratories. LIMS is software that collects and manages samples and relevant data. It includes functions like sample collection, data mining, analysis, and the integration of ELNS (Electronic Laboratory Notebooks) while ensuring that lab operations comply with various regulatory standards. Standard LIMS workflows include the following components:
- The primary function of LIMS is the sample track that starts the moment the sample arrives in the laboratory. It includes accessioning all the relevant details like ID, source, collection date, volume, etc. As the workflow continues, additional data like test results and other related metrics are collected and updated in LIMS.
- Then comes the execution of underlying protocols. Ensuring lab staff adhere to the SOPs while processing samples for accurate results is crucial. It also helps quickly locate the samples in busy labs, making the lab staff more efficient and productive.
- The third feature is to keep track of samples. The process starts with the samples’ inception and continues until the delivery of final results.
It deals with large-volume lab data management through a cascade of diagnostic procedures. It improves efficiency by automating repetitive administration tasks and intuitively integrating lab systems and instruments. Data management in LIMS makes it easy to access data wherever it is required. It is thus possible to make informed decisions based on real-time reporting.
Conclusion
While investing time, money, and effort to upgrade the lab technology, the primary goal is to maximize throughput and improve performance. Integrating information systems with decision support systems and equipment can help achieve the objective. The automated systems will ensure quality in healthcare services by minimizing human errors and producing accurate results.
The incorporation of LIS makes the documentation process faster. It stores patients’ data in a well-organized format which makes retrieval at any stage easier. Automated workflows and efficient processes help reduce workload, helping employees focus on more critical tasks. It helps boost customer satisfaction leading to improved employee retention rates.
FAQs:
1. Why is information technology important in laboratories?
A proper lab information system can significantly increase productivity, improve quality, and maximize efficiency. It helps speed up processes to deliver accurate results quickly, reducing workload and personnel hours.
2. What is the best feature of the laboratory information management system?
The main goal is to manage samples and their relevant data. But the best feature is data centralization to effectively manage all the components of the lab involved in the execution of a workflow. LIMS can store Information about sample studies, inventory management, and instrumentation tracking in one location. It enables the lab staff to access the required data easily when needed.
3. What is a SaaS delivery model?
The SaaS delivery model is a software-as-a-service with all the components of a full LIS. It mitigates the need to install computer software, thereby cutting the cost of hardware acquisition and maintenance. In addition, it provides an all-in-one solution from accession and diagnosis to the generation of customized reports.
4. How can equipment upgradation and automation help?
Upgrading lab equipment help integrate automation systems easily. It resolves the issues of precision, accuracy, speed, and output capacity by completing tasks in less time with improved accuracy, thereby making labs efficient and effective. It also helps lowering maintenance costs over time.
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