Laboratory information and management system
LIMS stands for L abor- I nformation and M anagement S ystem. This category of software systems deals with data processing in the analytical laboratory. These are software-based laboratory and information management systems that have properties that support the operation of a modern laboratory. LIMS systems are sometimes also referred to as laboratory information systems (LIS) or laboratory management systems (LMS).
The main features of the LIMS include the support of work processes and data tracking, a flexible architecture and interfaces for the exchange of data with other systems.
LIMS have evolved over the years from a simple tracking tool for samples to be tested to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools that cover many aspects of laboratory informatics.
The tasks of LIMS are essentially derived from chemometrics . Different principles are implemented according to the accompanying process chain. As a rule, two system strands are implemented:
- Measurement string (measuring devices, recording and storage of measured values from sensors and EDI ...)
- Control strand (mathematical processing and evaluation of the measurement data, sample management, accounting, etc.)
LIMS thus consist of at least the basic modules of measured value acquisition and measured value evaluation.
Process-based LIM systems should be fundamentally aligned with the analytical phases:
- Sample preparation
- Sample processing
- Evaluations
The process-based characteristics of a system are to be understood here in the IT context and, for LIMS, result in specific processes for each analytical phase.
LIMS have to implement a complete process chain from the registration of the sample receipt to the control and support of the entire measuring process up to the economic evaluation of the investigation, which often enough does not succeed easily. LIMS can also be implemented as distributed systems if e.g. B. measuring container can be used externally or mobile measuring systems are used.
In some cases, today's LIMS can represent a large number of parts of a laboratory or a production unit. It makes use of the division into static and dynamic data. Other systems that should not be ignored, such as chromatography data systems and the connection of instruments and other interfaces , should also be mentioned.
Information technology
The software basis of all modern, serious LIM systems are relational database systems . On this basis, in accordance with the layer model, the actual LIMS applications are usually implemented today with object-oriented development tools. In spite of all the striving for the most standardized software possible, the proportion of individual developments, even if only in certain areas (interfaces, individual modules), is still quite large. Thanks to object-oriented software development, however, individual adjustments are no longer associated with the same effort as in the time before the use of corresponding development tools.
The LIMS can be connected to IT systems in other company areas, e.g. B. the hardware in the measuring line can be connected to ERP systems or laboratory automation systems . It also makes sense to integrate it into the data backup infrastructure to ensure data security.
LIMSe in laboratory medicine
In laboratory medicine, LIMSs have to meet high requirements. Legal requirements for quality assurance (Rili-BÄK, GMP) must be observed. All work steps must be documented automatically. Depending on the devices to be supported and the customer base, different interface protocols must be supported.
Web links
- LIMS portal for laboratory information and management systems
Individual evidence
- ↑ S. Kromidas: Importance of a LIMS in quality assurance. In: Stavros Kromidas (ed.): Quality in the analytical laboratory: Quality assurance measures for quality assurance. The holistic quality concept. VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-527-28683-6 . doi: 10.1002 / 9783527624744.ch8
- ^ Alan Vaughan: LIMS: The Laboratory ERP. Retrieved May 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Criteria for the selection of a laboratory information system - Trillium GmbH Medizinischer Fachverlag. Retrieved December 3, 2019 .