Lims implementation sets new standards

Sysmex has implemented its Molis Lims system within eight laboratories located at the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL).

CPHL, in Colindale, is the national reference centre for medical microbiology in the UK, and is part of the Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division (SRMD) of the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

The main benefits of Molis already being realised are improved turn-around times for many requests, better recording of outbreak data, excellent sample tracking, improved accuracy, and real-time statistical analysis of data throughout CPHL, says Sysmex.

The system is compliant with the Caldicott data protection initiative and the level of auditing and result storage is a benefit for both CPA and Ukas accreditation.

The company says there was an urgent need for an integrated laboratory information system to provide efficient and effective capture and processing of patient and specimen data.

Improved analysis was required for outbreak situations and data sharing with other parts of the HPA including the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC).

One of the key benefits of the system is that it allows the capture of greater amounts of data according to the specific requirements of each laboratory, eg, immunisation dates and details for MMR surveillance work, travel history, and antimicrobial therapy for gastroenteritis tests.

The implementation of Molis has resulted in a number of business process changes to the laboratory workflows.

Numerous specimen receptions in the laboratories have been rationalised to a central accession facility, where approximately 800 specimens a day (both reference and surveillance) for all laboratories are received to a new paperless environment.

HPA and Sysmex envisage that the system will be rolled out to other HPA reference laboratories/units across the country in the near future.