Low-code LIMS solutions offer an adaptable and nimble platform, facilitating quick customization to cater to the specific, individualized needs of each laboratory.
By Riley Kaminer
Clinical laboratories come with a unique set of challenges. Just imagining the vast amounts of sensitive data that need to be managed and kept secure might keep you up at night. Not to mention the timetables that must be kept on track to ensure that the testing process is efficient, accurate, and effective from start to finish. On top of this, the clinical lab world is definitely in an ongoing state of change; the parameters for testing change as quickly as you can say, “saliva sample!”
Traditional laboratory information systems (LIMS) often rely on inflexible platforms, demanding substantial customization to align with individual laboratory requirements. This customization can be time-consuming and costly, posing a significant hurdle for smaller laboratories considering necessary LIMS implementation. These conventional systems may lack user-friendliness, necessitating specialized training for laboratory staff. In addition, many clinical labs use multiple software solutions, which cannot be readily integrated, while the handling of sensitive data requires a high degree of applicable security. In contrast, low-code LIMS solutions offer a more adaptable and nimbler platform, facilitating quick customization to cater to the specific needs of each laboratory on an individual basis.
In clinical labs, where reliability is paramount, the potential for system failures poses significant concerns. Incompatible software cannot be overlooked. In this context, the necessity for dependable systems becomes apparent, ensuring smooth operations. Prioritizing software solutions aligned with contemporary standards, mitigating the risk of disruptions that could compromise the efficiency and reliability of clinical laboratory processes is imperative.
6 Benefits of a Low-Code LIMS
There are six reasons why a low-code powered LIMS is effective in addressing the above challenges for a clinical lab business, including:
- Adaptable: Low-code LIMS allows clinical labs to automate e-commerce, logistics, and laboratory information management systems on a single, easy-to-integrate platform.
- Customizable: Designed to fit your unique workflow. Implement the tests, reports, and notifications that make your service stand out.
- Secure: End-to-end HIPAA compliance that meets the rigorous security requirements of labs is available from leading low-code LIMS companies, such as Slingr Labs.
- Integrated: It is easy to integrate with methods across the spectrum, from the most to the least modern.
- Automated: You can drive efficiency by streamlining previous manual tasks through automation.
- Interactive: Secure messages and reports are delivered via online portals with SMS, e-mail, and chat notifications.
Beyond these six reasons, there is additional urgency to embrace this laboratory technology.
“COVID-19 shone a light on the cracks in disease testing. Emerging from the pandemic, we strongly understood that clinical lab technology needed modernizing and made more efficient,” says Grace Schroeder, CEO of Slingr Labs, a low-code LIMS provider. “We witnessed a clear lack of capacity to serve both critically ill COVID patients and those with non-COVID healthcare needs at the same time. This bottleneck drove many facilities to start sending tests directly to patients. Meanwhile, we began to envision a low-code powered LIMS that is cheaper and faster—while being both customizable and adaptable to the developing parameters of disease testing.”
A result of this shifting paradigm is a quite possible health care future that will involve a higher degree of direct-to-consumer testing, working in combination with telehealth care. If the need for contagious patients to be in the same room together is removed, reducing the spread of an airborne or contact-to-contact pathogen is quite possible.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic or any future pathogenic pandemic, applying a low-code LIMS holds promise in addressing the concern of escalating infection rates. With labs globally utilizing these applications, there is potential for under-pressure facilities to efficiently identify available capacity and redirect testing, thereby mitigating delays in obtaining test results. Advancements, such as the introduction of machine learning and AI technology, are already underway in the low-code LIMS space, making it an area worth observing for future developments.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As an experienced tech journalist, Riley Kaminer’s research and writing has appeared in Forbes, The Economist, Newsweek, The Times (UK), Rest of World, Cities Today, and Refresh Miami, among others.
