When looking for your next Laboratory Information System, or LIS, remember that not all of them are created equally. You want to find the LIS that will work best for you and your lab’s specific needs.
While a simple LIS can make a world of difference, the most complex LIS won’t help at all if your team isn’t using it correctly. Here are some top ways to stay organized with your laboratory information system.
Make Sure Everyone Knows How to Use Your LIS
The best tool in the world won’t work if your team doesn’t know how to use it. Make sure that the laboratory information system you choose has an easy-to-use interface and is accessible to all necessary members of your team.
Understanding how to use your LIS is imperative to your team’s overall organization and goal-meeting aptitude. Another feature of a great LIS to look for is quick and qualified support, like that offered by Psyche Medical Laboratory for all our products.
Use Your Laboratory Information System to Its Full Extent
When you’re shopping for an LIS, make sure it communicates with third-party vendors as a quintessential feature. If you’re not sure, ask a representative for a list of compatible vendors to make sure that all tools you use in your lab will work with the LIS.
You also want to look for handy features, like the ability to use your system with regular lab equipment. A great example is a barcode-scanning feature that will make capturing information and reporting easier for members of staff in several different roles.
Some overlapping updates can cause the information to be miscommunicated or misunderstood. If you can find an LIS with a reporting lockout feature, like those offered by Psyche Medical Laboratory, use it! While it might be frustrating for members of your team to be temporarily locked out of an account, it can save a headache if that lockout prevents data overlap and miscommunication.
Stay organized with all features of an LIS that are available to you and your team.
Be Consistent
Make sure that everyone in your lab is using your LIS for each order. Being organized is mostly being consistent, so using the system every time and the same way is paramount. You should also take advantage of any order mapping features that your LIS offers.
Utilize Reporting Features Frequently
Organ mapping is a useful tool for reporting specific information quickly and accurately. Look for many different kinds of reporting features in a top-notch LIS. You’ll want your team to be able to quickly and efficiently share information from reports with all appropriate recipients. Most importantly, you want the reporting and communication results to be as accurate as possible the first time, every time.
If you need an LIS that can be customized to your lab and your team, reach out to Psyche Medical Laboratory. Our support staff is on hand to help you with all your information system needs, big or small.