Difference between revisions of "User:Shawndouglas/sandbox/sublevel4"

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There are hundreds of software vendors offering LIMS and LIS solutions making for a daunting challenge of narrowing down your laboratory’s options. However, there are a few tools available to you. Chief among them is [https://www.limswiki.org/index.php/Main_Page LIMSwiki], a curated repository of cited knowledge concerning laboratories and informatics. You can find a list of [[LIMS vendor]]s and [[LIS vendor]]s on the site, with each vendor having their own cited, non-marketing page providing information about the company and its offerings. Some vendors even make their pricing public, which is also indicated on the vendor page when available.
In the previous section, we noted that a vendor will often — but not always — include the industries their solutions serve on the vendor’s website. When a vendor takes the time to present how their solution provides functionality beneficial to one or more industries, it allows potential buyers to make more informed decisions early on in their research process. Those potential buyers can also contact a vendor directly to ask them how their solutions fulfill the needs of a clinical diagnostic or research laboratory like yours, and buyers can even ask the vendor to provide references of labs they have served in the buyer’s industry.


Additionally, those vendor pages have categories assigned to them based off the industries the vendor claims to serve. This categorical organization of [[:Category:LIMS vendors by industry|LIMS vendors by industry]] and [[:Category:LIS vendors by industry|LIS vendors by industry]] gives laboratories another useful way to sort through vendor offerings.
You may find some vendors take a one-size-fits-all approach to their clinical diagnostic or research LIMS. Depending on how thorough and all-encompassing their development team is in providing functionality, you may or may not find more granular features specific to your clinical lab and its area of expertise. The workflow needs of an anatomical pathology lab will differ slightly from those of a blood banking lab, and the LIMS used in those contexts will ideally have slightly different features to accommodate those lab types.


Word of mouth is also an important yet underutilized, tool. Have you reached out to other laboratories in your industry and asked them about their experiences with finding and implementing a LIMS? Can they give you additional recommendations or advice about their past or current approach? Are there any upcoming conferences and trade shows where you can learn more? What about talking to members of a trade or professional organization you’re part of?
The following subsections examine the more common lab types that make up the realm of clinical diagnostics and research, as well as the unique industry-based functionality required of a LIMS.
 
Finally, your laboratory may want to consider the usefulness of a request for information (RFI) in finding vendors who may be able to fulfill your lab’s requirements. An RFI is an ideal means for learning more about a potential solution and how it can solve your problems, or for discovering your options when you're not even sure how to solve your problem yet. By posting an RFI, you may find that multiple vendors respond. However, to maximize the number of responses, the RFI should not be unduly long and tedious to complete for prospective vendors. It should be concise, direct and honest. This means not only presenting a clear and humble vision of your laboratory and its goals, but also asking just the right amount of questions to allow potential vendors to demonstrate their expertise and provide a clearer picture of who they are.

Revision as of 17:12, 9 March 2022

In the previous section, we noted that a vendor will often — but not always — include the industries their solutions serve on the vendor’s website. When a vendor takes the time to present how their solution provides functionality beneficial to one or more industries, it allows potential buyers to make more informed decisions early on in their research process. Those potential buyers can also contact a vendor directly to ask them how their solutions fulfill the needs of a clinical diagnostic or research laboratory like yours, and buyers can even ask the vendor to provide references of labs they have served in the buyer’s industry.

You may find some vendors take a one-size-fits-all approach to their clinical diagnostic or research LIMS. Depending on how thorough and all-encompassing their development team is in providing functionality, you may or may not find more granular features specific to your clinical lab and its area of expertise. The workflow needs of an anatomical pathology lab will differ slightly from those of a blood banking lab, and the LIMS used in those contexts will ideally have slightly different features to accommodate those lab types.

The following subsections examine the more common lab types that make up the realm of clinical diagnostics and research, as well as the unique industry-based functionality required of a LIMS.

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