Every year, American doctors perform over 14 billion laboratory tests. The pandemic has provoked an additional strain in the industry as demand for fast and accurate testing has risen. Despite the increased workload, clinics and laboratories must guarantee the reliability of test results. Medical organizations use laboratory information systems to ensure both speed and quality. In this article, we’ll tell you about LIS software. Let’s find out how to build such solutions.
LIS software: more than just data management
A LIS (laboratory information system) is a program that regulates the work of a laboratory by tracking information about samples, studies, and operations. It is the digital backbone of a laboratory that helps manage employee productivity, materials, and costs.
LIS software records and stores patient testing data at all stages of work:
A LIS is often confused with a LIMS (laboratory information management system). They are similar, indeed. But they have some significant differences. A LIMS is used to monitor and supervise the work of pharmaceutical, environmental, and industrial laboratories and focuses on samples. A LIS has a narrower medical profile with a focus on patients. It is used in clinics to store and manage patient data (demographic, diagnosis records) and test results.
LIS software: basic functions
A LIS must include the following functions to ensure that participants in laboratory studies perform standard procedures and tests:
Sample management
A laboratory assistant sticks a barcode to a sample. It is scanned and stored in a LIS. Together with the barcode, the specialist enters information about the expiration date, the patient’s name, and the type of laboratory tests. With the help of a unique ID, medical staff can easily track the location of the sample and notify the patient when the result is ready.
Integration with laboratory equipment
A feature that collects test results from laboratory equipment into separate files tailored to the different needs of laboratories. Integration also allows specialists to monitor the condition of equipment and plan its maintenance. They can also monitor cold rooms to maintain the required temperature and humidity levels for storing reagents, samples, and solutions.
Customizable laboratory reports
A LIS software solution has a built-in mechanism for generating reports on the results of laboratory diagnostics. Laboratories determine templates and format of protocols (color, style of text, diagrams, and images). Generated reports can be sent to electronic medical records or laboratory notebooks. They can also be printed or shared by fax, email, or SMS.
Data management
Laboratories generate large amounts of data every day. It should not pile up and take up valuable space. The data management function allows laboratory personnel to archive used source files with raw results and standardized documents.
Archived files can be restored and transferred from one computer to another for long-term storage. The transmission and storage of digital information exclude paper documentation. Thus, laboratories save on paper when assistants transfer data to doctors or patients faster.
Inventory
A LIS has a built-in inventory function to track the stock of reagents, solutions, and required consumables. By setting up notifications, laboratory managers stay informed when the material for analysis is running low. So, they request replenishment in time to ensure the seamless workflow of the laboratory.
Benefits of LIS software for laboratories
For medical workers, a LIS opens up opportunities that they haven’t had before:
1. Laboratory assistants get the job done faster.
A LIS provides features that reduce the execution time of some procedures. Most of the operations are automated (entering test results into a database, generating reports, and approving results). It means that employees can perform more work with the same effort. Through such a platform, laboratory assistants view assigned tasks and see where required samples are located. Employees check which instruments need maintenance before the equipment breaks down.
2. It takes less time to share results between employees and institutions.
Since LIS integrates with a wide variety of apps and equipment, data can be easily and securely shared between laboratory staff, clinics, or other institutions on request. It also takes less time to coordinate results and send them to doctors or patients because data is digitized.
3. A LIS reduces laboratory costs.
With a LIS, paperwork goes digital, which reduces paper usage. Switching to electronic documents alone means cost savings. The built-in automation process minimizes the number of laboratory errors and speeds up workflows.
How to develop LIS software
There are enough ready-made platforms for laboratories on the market that will help you customize and automate work with patient tests. These one-size-fits-all solutions do not always contain the features required by a particular laboratory. Therefore, such ready-made programs need to be adapted to a specific institution and contain relevant functions. But there is an alternative option – to create custom healthcare solutions that will meet the requirements of a specific laboratory by default. To achieve this goal, you need to take six consecutive steps:
Step 1. Determine the purpose of a LIS and its necessary functions.
To outsource a LIS software development project, you need to define the goals and functionality of the product. You should answer the following questions:
When a business knows the answers to these questions, it has a clear idea of the future product. Thus, it is easier to set requirements for a LIS software developer and find a reliable technology partner.
Step 2. Find a LIS software development company
To turn ideas into reality, a laboratory manager needs to find a company experienced in LIS software development. As a rule, the search algorithm includes:
When giving preference to a company, check out if its employees have experience in similar projects and know the necessary technologies. A portfolio of projects on the company’s website proves their competencies
Step 3. Participate in the discovery phase
A product discovery phase is necessary for both a customer and their IT partner. It will allow a LIS development project to run smoothly, and the parties will understand each other correctly. Business representatives and the development team agree on the product’s vision and LIS requirements, create a roadmap and approve the timing and budget of the project. Careful planning helps them avoid possible risks:
The discovery phase deals with these issues at the very beginning so that the product comes out in full, without delays and additional costs. Thus, the LIS will work properly and solve laboratory problems.
Step 4. Develop LIS software
After careful planning, the development team builds LIS software. Specialists create the UI/UX design, develop the necessary functions, and test the system. Typically, this process is iterative. One of the best ways to create a product that is as user-friendly as possible is to develop an MVP.
The team initially creates a basic version of a LIS with a minimal set of features. But such a product is ready to work. Developers collect feedback from users and add the missing functionality in the next iteration. So, the product gradually develops into a perfect version, the most convenient for users.
Step 5. Train employees and launch the product
The introduction of LIS software into the work of a laboratory should not be sudden. Laboratory employees need to be ready for changes not only mentally. Train your staff in advance according to the instructions and documents. Thus, they will know what the workflow will look like when using the program. Employees need to learn the functions and peculiarities of the system.
You should conduct user acceptance testing thus allowing trained employees to work with the finished program. To put the theory into practice, they need to take a user path through various scenarios. In this way, inaccuracies and errors will be corrected before the LIS is put into operation.
Step 6. Deploy LIS software
After eliminating inaccuracies in the operation of the system, you need to schedule a launch date. Run test scripts to verify that the deployment has been successful in the production environment. Make sure that the app works correctly in real-life conditions. Your IT partner will take care of technical support and application updates. Thus, your LIS will run smoothly and error-free.
Conclusion
Each industry has technologies that define its workflow. In logistics, this is transport management software, in healthcare, these are electronic medical records, and in banking, financial management platforms are of great importance. LIS software is necessary for laboratory diagnostics. Such a program provides a decent level of automation and speeds up workflows without sacrificing quality. However, to build the necessary functionality, you need to carefully consider LIS requirements and find an experienced IT partner able to implement them.
