Laboratory Informatics - An Efficient Tool for Effective and Timely Decision Making

Laboratory Informatics - An Efficient Tool for Effective and Timely Decision Making

Laboratory Informatics(LI) is a relatively new area in medicine that facilitates the exchange of laboratory data through electronic data exchange. The word informatics' is specifically used for an act that involves the gathering and recording of data, applying statistical analysis, and using that data for a specific purpose. The systems used in laboratory informatics are specially designed to acquire, retrieve, and communicate test results and different data gathered in the laboratory.

Different Elements of Laboratory Informatics:

Laboratory informaticsis not limited to LIMS alone. Today, laboratories use several types of software packages and databases that include bioinformatics software, cheminformatics software, and several other laboratory software programs. In simple words, Laboratory informaticsencompasses all informatics software used in a laboratory. As such, LIMS is just one of the main elements in Laboratory Informatics architecture.

Today, life sciences companies need a system that has the ability to convert humongous amounts of laboratory data into some useful information that can help all levels of management in an organization to make effective and timely decisions. In an enterprise, multiple applications generate volumes of data that is stored separately.

Mining and aggregating this data is a complicated task. Several companies still collect, analyze, and report this data through manual processes. This process of reporting relevant information is so tedious that scientists have to devote their time for this work instead of focusing on their laboratory work. Apart from the tiresome and time consuming nature of the process, scientists also face different kinds of problems while preparing reports.

The applications used in laboratory and data formats are inconsistent, and there is no way the different reams of information lying in different silos can be aggregated in one place. All these obstacles prevent the management from making timely and effective decisions.

Many life science companies purchase LIMS because it has the ability to integrate the enterprise systems with laboratory instrumentation to improve data management. A market research study of LIMS users conducted worldwide shows that most LIMS users are not able to achieve the integration of LIMS and enterprise systems. Around 70% of laboratories surveyed had less than half of all their laboratory instruments linked with LIMS.

This naturally affects the productivity and revenue of an organization, as there is a delay in the delivery of important information to the management due to the complexity faced in linking various systems. The survey results clearly show that a company which does not integrate its data sources scattered across the organization finds it difficult to transcribe the data. In addition, the manual process of transcribing of data is labor intensive, slow, and prone to human error.

Evolution of LIMS:

The arena of Laboratory informaticsis rapidly changing due to the development of technologies used in LIMS. Today, LIMS is specifically designed by understanding the requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturers. The pharmaceutical companies are finding different ways to cut down the costs, accelerate the process of time-to-market, and respond quickly to changing regulatory norms. Life sciences companies are demanding a purpose-built LIMS that has the advanced functionality for every stage of the drug development process.

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