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articles Information Management 
Choosing the right laboratory information management system (LIMS), and making it work and evolve is a complex business. Scimcon hopes to offer a helping hand. A LIMS is seen as a crucial tool in laboratory management. LIMS' are computer systems designed to control all the information generated within the lab, to allow the company to control and capitalise on it. However, these systems can be very expensive and must be tailored to a company's requirements if they are to be of any use. While there are a great many LIMS vendors and consultants, few of them have any great 'hands-on' experience. However, the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory (HFL), based in Cambridge, UK, has 13 years' experience of producing and developing its own LIMS system. HFL is responsible for, amongst other things, drug testing for horseracing, an area in which the traceability of samples and the data relating to them is vital. As a consequence, HFL has great experience of regulatory compliance. It has also gained extensive insight into the process of developing an existing LIMS, while at all times remaining compliant. HFL has decided to set up Scimcon, the only LIMS consultancy with a laboratory based perspective. A common misconception about LIMS is that the job is complete when the system goes 'live'. Scimcon recognises that this is only the first step in a process that must adapt and grow with the changing demands of the users and their workload. 'Fifty percent of electronic information management systems fail to meet their initial expectations and objectives,' observes Scimcom general manager Trevor De Silva. The goal is not a successful implementation, but, he explains: 'the implementation of a successful system'. HFL's LIMS was one of the first to feature all its laboratory instruments linked directly to the central database, avoiding any risk of transcription error and allowing a continuous record of a sample's progress through the laboratory. At any point in time, a complete record for that sample can be accessed, giving the history of where the sample has been stored and tested, which samples it has been kept with and what tests it has been subjected to, as well as the test results themselves. The system has been designed for ease of use, fitting seamlessly into the user's work pattern. For example, the system takes into account what type of sample is being dealt with and prompts the user accordingly, rather than giving generic data-entry screens. This avoids user frustration and unnecessary time wastage. The system can also be instructed to apply common information to all the samples in a batch, avoiding unnecessary repetition. This attention to detail highlights Scimcon's experience. Scimcon offers a range of services, including pre-selection consultancy for companies investigating purchasing a LIMS. Since Scimcon is not linked to any software supplier, it can give impartial advice, including advising some companies that a LIMS may not be for them. Scimcon also offers project consultancy for those who decide to install a LIMS. Given that the cost of a LIMS can be very large, it is extremely important that the system works, is right for the client and will continueto meet the client's needs. A helping hand from consultants with relevant experience can be very useful. Scimcon's expertise in regulatory compliance is the basis of further services. The company provides validation consultancy to ensure that a LIMS system meets all relevant audit expectations. The company also offers advice on change control, and can guide a client through the process of modifying and developing their LIMS. In parallel with this service, Scimcon can perform a 'GP health check', prior to an audit, to ensure that the client's LIMS remains fully compliant with current standards of good working practise. Although Scimcon is a new company, it is not starting from scratch. It is a continuation of HFL's successful LIMS business unit, and has an impressive existing customer base. Current clients include AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pilkington Glass, Brewing Research international and Unilever. This work has extended the scope of Scimcon's experience well beyond its own laboratory, including a project for Dow AgroChemicals that required a LIMS system to operate across four sites on two continents. |
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