LIMS

By Dharmarai Naicker

By

Dharmarai Naicker –September 2016

COMPUTERS AND INFORMATION

MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES HAVE

EVOLVED WITH TIME AND ARE TOUCHING

OUR LIVES WHERE WE LIVE, PLAY AND

WORK.

ITInformation technology (IT) has the potential to give

businesses options to redesign processes to develop high-

performing organizations.

A high performance work culture is where innovation,

performance, value-added change and customer

satisfaction is valued by all employees.

Information technology is a means of delivering high value

information in an environment driven by information.

LIMS

Why are Laboratory Information Management

Systems (LIMS) becoming a catalyst for and

the face of reengineered laboratories today?

Is it just a new fad where everything is put on

an information system?

Is LIMS a necessity for every life science

organisation?

Maintenance

A function that allows the administrator to keep track of databases

Personnel and equipment management

Allows users to track employee training records for ISO and track instrument calibration, repairs, costs, monitor trends, etc

Chemical and reagent inventory

Functionality that tracks the purchase and usage of supplies in the laboratory

Electronic data

Allows automatic transfer of data from analytical instrumentation into the LIMS.

Quality AssuranceA/Quality Control

Allows users to generate control charts and view trend analysis graphs.

Sample Scheduling

Automatically logs in samples, receives them into the laboratory, prints labels, and assigns the tests for projects on a routine basis.

Data entry

Allows analysts to enter results into the LIMSand to assign QC run batches.

Sample tracking

Allows laboratories to track their samples through different departments in the laboratory with a computer-generated unique sample identification number

Improved security. User logon. Role-based functionality.

Audit trail. Data cannot be accidentally deleted.

Secure remote access

Central database for improved and faster data analysis and reporting.Interfaces with other departments.

Improved billing via direct export to financial system. Productivity measurement reports .Price list management. Low cost of reporting

Reduced admin work for lab staff. Increased productivity. Higher levels of certainty.

Work scheduling

Limits damage due to staff turnover.

Provides continuity .

Removal of paperwork, reduction of man power requirements

Opportunity to improve business processes. Dramatically improved capacity. Automated tasks require no time from analysts.

Supports accreditation and legal requirements.

Traceability of Most LIMS include extensive QC measures, graphs and reports

Improved accuracy via Data import from instruments. Barcode printing and scanning . Limit checks. Automatic calculation of results.Faster lead times for customers-Improved

A LIMS automates the production of, use and

distribution of information gathered and has a

significant impact on service delivery.

With such a powerful advancement in information

systems one would want to know if South African

testing laboratories are implementing LIMS, and to

what extent.

The survey attempted to address the status of LIMS

implementation in accredited South African

Laboratories

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the current status of LIMS

implementation across South African testing

laboratories

To investigate the status of LIMS service providers in

the South African market and their strengths and

weakness and opportunities for improvement.

To determine the impact of LIMS on productivity,

efficiency and effectiveness of the South African

testing Laboratory business

Of the 328 laboratories that were requested to participate in the survey, 28

contact emails were returned as ‘Failed’. Only 72 (22%) of the 328 laboratories

responded, with 66 (92%) agreeing to participate and 8% declining to participate

further in the survey.

62

7

3.4

14

3.4

0

3.43.4 3.4

Location of laboratories

Gauteng

Western Cape

Free State

Kwazulu Natal

Limpopo

Norther Cape

Eastern Cape

Mphumalanga

North West Province

LIMS SURVEY

21

14

3.4

73.43.4

7

3.4

3.4

3.4

3.4

3.4

3.4

3.43.4 7 3.4

Type of Laboratory

Food testing

Water testing

Civil

Chemical

Electrical

Lab

Mining

Medical Devices

Packaging Testing

Diagnostics

Reseach-Roads

Agriculture

Of the 72 respondents only 33 indicated whether their laboratory supports or

manages a LIMS or not. Of the laboratories that responded 58% of the laboratories

have a LIMS in place, 30% are not planning to implement a LIMS, while 12%

indicated that they plan to implement a LIMS in the future.

CURRENT USE OF LIMS IN LABORATORIES

24

19

14

10

11

0

0

1

20

4

sample management

User reporting

Workflow automation

Instrument connections

QA/QC

Regulatory Management

Environmental Monitoring

Inventory Control

Analyses with Calculations

Others

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

sample management

User reporting

Workflow automation

Instrument connections

QA/QC

Regulatory Management

Environmental Monitoring

Inventory Control

Analyses with Calculations

Others

0 5 10 15 20 25

service and support

Eas of use

Price

Versatility

Privacy/security

Customization

Eas of installation

Upgrade pricing

Web based access

Remote access

The most important factors that

influenced the choice of

purchase of LIMS

LIMS WEAKNESSES

Cost was mentioned as a weakness of some of the LIMS vendors by half of

the respondents in the current survey.

Just under half of the respondents (46.7%) mentioned costly improvements

as a weakness. A further 26.7% reported lack of technical support and 20

% identified costly maintenance plans of their vendors.

In implementing LIMS, respondents identified poor staff training (21%) and

costs to maintain their systems (50%) as further drawbacks of the systems

in their environments.

When asked to indicate the factors that influenced their purchase choice

when choosing a LIMS vendor, the two most important decision making

factors for the respondents were service and support and customization.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Dramatically Improved

Faster turnaround times

Higher levels of certainty

Easy accreditation

Data at your finger tips

Interfaces with other systems

Track productivity

Enhance quality control

Low cost of reporting

Paperless

Cost benefits of LIMS

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Implement LIMS in the cloud

Accessing LIMS through tablets

Accessing LIMS through mobile devices

The future of LIMS

RECOMMENDATIONSIt is recommended that the research project is repeated with

particular attention focused on increasing the sample size.

A collaborative project with institutes in all nine provinces could

assist in adopting a more effective mixed research methodology

allowing researchers to visit laboratories and conduct interviews

directly with the Executive and Laboratory management on their

experiences with LIMS implementation and its strategic benefits

to their organisations.

The online survey could also be shorter, and could be opened to

all laboratories in South Africa, regardless of accreditation status.

CONCLUSION

LIMS should provide efficient, cost effective generation of

information for the laboratory environment and the

business.

For any organisation the ultimate goal of implementation of a

LIMS is to properly apply information technology to provide

improved quality, quantity and value of information that will

maximize a laboratory’s value to its customers and improve

customer satisfaction, retention and market penetration.

Paperless` future