Why Do You Need To Switch To LIMS From Excel

Why Do You Need To Switch To LIMS From Excel?

Whenever the word Lab arrives, a general image comes to our mind. A place equipped with high-tech technology and advanced infrastructure. However, this perception cannot apply to every lab operating around us as the reality is different from the perception. There are still many labs that rely on manual work. Such labs store data in an excel sheet or even maintain files to keep the records. This way of storing and managing data is not only outdated but also impacts the performance of a lab which cannot be compromised. Thus, it is important to upgrade your lab, which can be easily done with the implementation of a laboratory information management system.

Labscion has many clients who switched to LIMS and witnessed a drastic change in the efficiency of their lab. If you want to experience the same in your lab, then it is the right time to do it because the competition at present is extremely high. If you want to survive and thrive in this field, then you need to switch from paper-based work to LIMS. Here are some of the reasons for that, check them out below and make your decision.

Data Management

Labs with a few employees or limited customers often feel managing the work manually more suitable. However, they ignored the fact, the better the management the more the clients. A lab that offers quick and accurate results earns the trust of people, and hence more people will prefer to come to that lab. But how a lab can improve its accuracy and become quicker? The answer is LIMS. 

LIMS can automate most of the work done manually. It reduces the work time, provides the findings, and improves their quality. For example, test limits can also be applied automatically at the test, substance, and level of samples. Managers can connect at any site to evaluate, validate and approve test findings instead of chasing down notebooks for approval. Reports can be easily generated and even sent to clients. The best part is that all the data gets stored in a single place rather than in different files. Instead of browsing through files or spreadsheets, data from any sample or batch can be retrieved instantaneously when needed. 

Security

Excel or spreadsheets has a major con. It contains minimal control of access and traceability. The logging of changes and who made those modifications is not straightforward. The original data can be lost permanently if it is unintentionally edited or destroyed. Furthermore, only one person can view and change the spreadsheet at a time, which might be inconvenient when numerous persons want access to the same information. A laboratory information management system can improve security. You can see who did what, when, and why by automatically tracking the documents created, deleted, and the updates in the audit trail. User accounts are also used to add security to LIMS. You can restrict the level of access each user has to the system using permissions. You can choose data permission levels, visibility, and editability, giving you peace of mind that your information is safe and secure.

Data Retraction

Laboratories make use of previous data for analytical or statistical purposes. To assure product quality, statistical process control is applied in the manufacture. Data analysis can be utilized to emphasize the lack of thorough follow-up on operational processes or employee proficiency. Drawing data from a single LIS database offers several chances for business enhancement and analysis. It is commonly recognized as a significant time-saver for laboratory managers to rapidly identify and repress a report for a particular sample or lot and to produce high-level management reports on laboratory effectiveness. Managing reports, which used to take several hours to shake via paper and tablets, may very frequently be automated so that they are automatically given to people who require them daily, weekly and monthly reports. Data recall can save the time of employees and free them up for more useful and more satisfactory activities.

Data Handling Capacity

Maintaining patients’ detail in an excel sheet is quite time-consuming and requires various calculations to perform. This leads unavoidably to transcribing mistakes and requires further inspections to verify that the final findings generated are correct. Since laboratory volumes increase this load, laboratories should be encouraged to link their tools directly into the LIMS, eliminating transcription failures and accelerating the process. 

Bottomline

Data analysis is more accurate and quicker in a lab having LIMS, which can automate and speed up the whole process. The reasons given above are enough to switch your lab from excel to LIMS. There are a lot of perks of using lims in laboratory. You can visit Labscion to inquire and buy a world-class LIMS for your lab.