Laboratory informatics is a specialized field that combines multiple disciplines to optimize operations for labs facing increasing competition and a changing technology landscape. It encompasses a range of tasks and systems designed to streamline processes, manage lab data, and facilitate data analysis and reporting. Most labs use software like laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), laboratory execution […]
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A laboratory information management system (LIMS) can provide tremendous value to a lab. It can enhance efficiency and productivity, improve data quality, save time, and ensure compliance with traceability and auditability. However, to get the best return on investment, you need to ensure that it’s set up to manage your lab’s entities and workflows properly. What are entities and workflows? […]
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Cloud-based laboratory information management systems (LIMS) are highly scalable and conveniently accessible. They handle automatic updates and patches so that the software is always current. Plus, they provide state-of-the-art security to ensure sensitive patient data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. However, because labs operate in a sector where patient privacy is paramount, many hesitate to transition to the cloud. […]
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How to Make a LIMS Support Your Lab’s Unique Workflows Commercial off-the-shelf laboratory information management systems (LIMS) often come with pre-built protocols to help labs get up and running quickly. But if your lab solely relies on these pre-built protocols, you’re missing out on efficiencies that could give your business a competitive advantage. Moving beyond out-of-the-box LIMS functionality While the […]
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Every lab manager knows that good data is essential for advancing science — whether it’s to track trends, confirm or disprove hypotheses, or compare results across experiments. But what’s the best way to ensure decisions are based on good data in your lab environment? Modern clinical diagnostic labs generate a wealth of valuable data through the use of numerous […]
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“Do we need a new laboratory information management system (LIMS) or can we make do with our current system?” This is a question we often hear from labs struggling to make their existing software do what they need. “Replace the LIMS” is generally not the answer labs want to hear. That’s because a new implementation can be costly and time-consuming. […]
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Laboratories face frequent changes. Whether you’re implementing new workflows or updating an existing one, adding an instrument, iterating on a validated assay, or optimizing processes to keep up with market conditions or advances in technology, one thing is certain — change is inevitable. But that doesn’t make it easy. Humans naturally resist change. We prefer tasks that are comfortable and […]
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Barcoding is extremely useful in a lab environment. It lets you quickly and automatically identify and track items like samples, plates, and reagents. But implementing a lab barcode system is not as simple as charging up a scanner and getting to work. To be effective, the scanning solution should be integrated with your laboratory information management system (LIMS). That means […]
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A surprising number of labs today still use pen and paper to manage lab samples, analysis, and reporting. But for forward-looking labs, a laboratory information management system (LIMS) offers a way to work more effectively through standardized workflows, tests, and procedures. That was the conclusion reached by the shareholders of an environmental contract lab. Recognizing that if they continued to […]
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In a 2018 article in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (JMD), the authors — Charles Myers, Matthew Swadley, and Alexis Carter — identified key gaps in functionality in laboratory information systems (LIS) for molecular labs. To continue the conversation, we collaborated with the Cleveland Clinic’s Molecular Pathology Section lab team on a response. In our article published on the JMD […]
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