Laboratory Information Management System - The Distinction Between A LIMS and A LIS

The Distinction Between A LIMS and A LIS

Up until recently, the LIMS and laboratory information system (LIS) have exhibited a few key differences, making them noticeably separate entities:

1. A LIMS traditionally has been designed to process and report data related to batches of samples from biology labs, water treatment facilities, drug trials, and other entities that handle complex batches of data. A LIS has been designed primarily for processing and reporting data related to individual patients in a clinical setting.

2. A LIMS needs to satisfy good manufacturing practice (GMP) and meet the reporting and audit needs of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and research scientists in many different industries. A LIS, however, must satisfy the reporting and auditing needs of hospital accreditation agencies, HIPAA, and other clinical medical practitioners.

3. A LIMS is most competitive in group-centric settings (dealing with "batches" and "samples") that often deal with mostly anonymous research-specific laboratory data, whereas a LIS is usually most competitive in patient-centric settings (dealing with "subjects" and "specimens") and clinical labs.

However, as of 2012 these distinctions have faded somewhat as some LIMS vendors have adopted the case-centric information management normally reserved for a LIS, blurring the lines between the two components further. Thermo Scientific's Clinical LIMS is a recent example of this merger of LIMS with LIS, with Dave Champagne, informatics vice president and general manager, stating: "Routine molecular diagnostics requires a convergence of the up-to-now separate systems that have managed work in the lab (the LIMS) and the clinic (the LIS). The industry is asking for, and the science is requiring, a single lab-centric solution that delivers patient-centric results." STARLIMS Corporation's STARLIMS product is another recent example of this LIMS/LIS merger. With the distinction between the two entities becoming less clear, discussions within the laboratory informatics community have raised the question of whether or not the two entities should be considered the same.