LABORATORY INFORMATICS
add an extra layer of business intelligence over and above that of a day-to-day sample and test management system, González states. ‘In contrast with most ‘static’ analytics capabilities offered with some platforms, the advanced analytics packaged within STARLIMS looks at data in real time, in combination with historical data. And in addition to these advanced analytics capabilities, STARLIMS offers integrated ELN and SDMS functionality, and mobile features.’ The STARLIMS LIMS platform is
architected on segregated business logic and technology layers, being highly flexible, versatile. This enables the STARLIMS solutions to evolve together with organisations, allowing them to take advantage of the technological advancements and to tailor the LIMS to their organisational configuration, business model or changes driven by regulations and procedures, Mihai-Jitariuc notes. ‘STARLIMS continuously evolves, and technology upgrades can be implemented with minimum or no impact to the business logic layer and master business static data.’ The ability to mine all your data can
therefore help to make operation more efficient, as well as provide product-related analytics and trending, Eliot Randle, director of the UK-based informatics consultancy firm e-Science Solutions, points out.
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”Your lab needs to have a quality management system as well as a laboratory management system in place, down to equipment maintenance, quality control limits studies and calibration records”
‘Analyses of information may involve simply comparing time spent on projects, use of instrumentation, analysts’ time and reagent consumption. On a practical level this can highlight where and how efficiencies can be made in the lab, how processes can be streamlined and time spent by scientists on particular tasks reduced through additional automation. If you can reduce workflow time you can often increase overall capacity by processing higher numbers of samples, with faster throughput.’
The message that rings out clear in any
discussion on QA/QC operation is that laboratories are leveraging informatics to reduce error-prone, manual tasks, improve efficiency, and make data flow
more seamless throughout the workflow to ensure traceability and integrity, comments Bob Voelkner, VP of sales and marketing at LabVantage. ‘Compliance issues and evidence of violation at audit can be bad for image in the marketplace, which can also have financial implications on top of the direct costs associated with falling short of regulatory requirements.’ The activities of the QA/QC lab are,
fortunately, good candidates for automation, Voelkner continues. Much of the work is routine and repetitive, and as cost centres that are not directly generating profits, one of the biggest drivers for automation in the QC lab – compliance issues notwithstanding – is cost containment. The QC lab operation is not unlike a
factory production line, but in this case the product is test results, Voelkner suggests. ‘You still have to figure out the most effective and efficient way to use resources (including personnel), instruments, supplies and consumables, and fit those resources to the workload. Interfacing the lab operations with business applications including manufacturing resource planning systems, inventory software, etc., can also provide key intelligence to help refine processes and operations further. What vendors are trying to do is to reduce the cost and the complexity out implementation, and reduce
April/May 2018 Scientific Computing World 23
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