Errors may appear at any point in the laboratory workflow, from sample preparation and test setup to instrument calibration and report creation. Inaccuracies lengthen turnaround times, reduce efficiency, and potentially lead customers to poor decisions based on incorrect or missing data. Using a laboratory information management system (LIMS) to constrain sources of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical errors offers benefits beyond just improving test accuracy.  [Read More]

I love the work of change management because it is messy, unpredictable, and deeply personal. Humans, when taken individually, are complex and full of surprises. But aggregate the expected behavior of 10, 50, or even 10,000 humans and the possible outcomes are practically limitless. I have yet to experience a boring day on a change management project and I don’t expect to live through one any time soon. [Read More]

Data integrity, an area of increasing priority in today’s laboratory world and “The focus area” when it comes to regulatory compliance such as 21 CFR Part 11 and Eudralex Annex 11.  Considering the number of warning letters from US FDA and other such regulatory bodies issued to pharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturers across the globe, Data integrity is the “Buzz word” in today’s audit. [Read More]

Human resources have always been a critical function in any company. But with the digital age, the future or human resources is becoming an even more essential component of business success. To stay ahead of the curve, HR must undergo a digital transformation. This means deploying digital platforms for employee engagement, introducing personalized training and skilling programs, and using automation and analytics for insights and efficiency. [Read More]

The project went live successfully on June 15, with an implementation cycle of only 4 months. During the severe epidemic lockdown in China, the STARLIMS team collaborated closely with the customer, coordinating resources efficiently between different parties. Under the strict quality management and project management, the STARLIMS system has been successfully delivered on time to support the customer’s long-term development. [Read More]

In this 2021 paper by Bohn et al., a review of the utility and limitations of clinical laboratory electronic tools is given, along with a use case of the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals (CALIPER) online database. After a brief introduction, the authors examine both tools that are useful to the medical provider and tools useful to the patient, as well as a few caveats on their use. They then discuss CALIPER, a tool " aimed to improve blood test result interpretation in children by establishing accurate and robust pediatric reference intervals for important biomarkers of health and disease." They discuss the system in the framework of how such clinical electronic systems can assist doctors and patients through the laboratory. They conclude that "clinical laboratories should be leading and actively engaged in electronic diagnostic tool innovations that improve laboratory data communication and reduce post-analytical errors in test result reporting and interpretation," while at the same time considering "[i]nherent biases to data-driven technologies."