Meeting the Need for Speed

Back in MSC-LIMS, technicians query and retrieve the LIMS samples whose results are now available. Then, they retrieve the Excel data and view the results, and then import the data into the “LIMS’ Results by Analyte screen(s).”

The Data is Secure

It is important that no changes are made to the BAX system’s files. Rohrbeck stresses this point: “One potential issue with this kind of access is data security and the need to guard against data manipulation – either accidental or intentional – that might present an erroneous result. The BAX system handles this with a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) code that is computed by the BAX system when results are calculated. Any manipulation of the file, including the file name, will result in an error message when viewed in the BAX system.”

The Excel middleware concept poses no threat, provided it simply “copies and pastes” information. The copied sample information and test results are then available in two locations, one of which may be a flexible, secure LIMS with multi-level security, audit trail and error tracking capabilities. And because the entities remain separate, the Excel worksheets can be easily revised to respond to any future BAX system upgrades.

Implementation and Functional Advantages

O’Rielly found that implementing the new system proved simpler than she had anticipated. “When we first introduced LIMS to the lab we were somewhat concerned with the differing levels of computer literacy of the technicians.

But our LIMS user interface is very straightforward, and there were very few problems.”

Following installation and training, O’Reilly’s team wrote a step-by-step training manual and continued their old paper system as well as the LIMS for several months. They gradually incorporated the LIMS’ features into their day-to-day operations and are now fully automated, including proficiently utilizing the BAX interface and generating final reports.

O’Rielly values efficiency. “I am always looking for ways to streamline the operation,” she says. “With the increased documentation required for accreditation, we now spend almost as much time filling out paperwork as we do microbiology.” Fortunately, their confidence in presenting BAX results in the LIMS’ pre-defined and user-defined reports has significantly reduced paper-handling time. “Generating reports is now significantly easier, less time consuming and less prone to transcription errors.”

The difference between their former pen-and-paper system and the new automated system is “night and day,” O’Rielly adds. “Often I spent several hours a day tracking down data to resend to a customer. I can now run a query on the computer for the specific information I require.”

Know Any Good Shortcuts?

MSC’s Collard is convinced that a well-executed interface is the most reliable method for sharing LIMS and instrument data. Rohrbeck concurs: “The simplicity of BAX system files makes it fairly straightforward for developers to integrate them with an external system. For customers who require automated LIMS-type access, developers can work with a familiar, commercial interface rather than a proprietary application program interface (API).”

Okay, but what if a lab has no LIMS? To this Rohrbeck responds that “customers without a full LIMS system can still use Excel to create custom reports and/or generate BAX system data files. And we do have customers who read and write BAX system files directly, without the use of Excel.”

If the goal is simply to minimize data entry, Collard suggests yet another alternative: Barcodes. “If technicians are able to generate a bar-code for each sample using a simple Windows barcode font, they may be able to read the encoded information directly into the BAX system using a keyboard-wedge barcode scanner.” A keyboard-wedge scanner is an all-hardware solution that slips data into the flow between keyboard and computer, making scanned data appear as if entered at the keyboard.