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Title: What are the key elements of a LIMS for forensics and medical examiners?

Author for citation: Shawn E. Douglas

License for content: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Publication date: June 2022

Summary

A forensics and medical examiners lab may analyze anything from body fluids and bone fragments to metals and fire debris as part of their broad commitment to answering questions of interest to a legal system. These laboratory-based investigations see scientists collect, preserve, and analyze these types of samples (i.e., evidence) using a variety of special laboratory equipment and techniques. Given their role in verifying the status of evidence, the forensics lab will also see its laboratorians take part in legal proceedings, requiring even more strict requirements for data and evidence management. This broad array of analytical techniques and set of legal implications means such labs turning to informatics solutions like the laboratory information management system (LIMS) will require their information management solutions to meet the specific needs of their lab.

This brief topical article will examine the typical forensics and medical examiners lab's workflow and suggest a base set of LIMS functionality (i.e., system requirements) that is critical to fulfilling the information management and workflow requirements of this lab type.

Note: Any citation leading to a software vendor's site is not to be considered a recommendation for that vendor. The citation should however still stand as a representational example of what vendors are implementing in their systems.

Laboratory routine and workflow

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) duly notes the practice of forensic science is multi-disciplinary, spanning from forensic chemistry, molecular biology, and toxicology to anthropology and entomology.[1] This suggests that depending on what a forensics lab or researcher is focusing their efforts on, workflows may differ, sometimes significantly. These workflows may be further complicated by activities outside the laboratory, including collecting evidence, giving testimony, providing forensic psychiatry services, or conducting forensic engineering investigations.[1] This typically results in diverse types of information and data being collected both physically and digitally inside and outside the forensics lab, at all hours of the day. Additionally, the integrity of that information, data, and evidence is vital to establishing legal provenance and positively developing forensic intelligence.[2] This is where a well-developed and -maintained LIMS comes into play.

The use of LIMS in crime labs has grown over time, with the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reporting 75% of publicly funded crime labs using a LIMS in 2002 and 84% in 2009.[3] (A separate survey by Levy in 2011 found 82% of surveyed death investigation offices were using LIMS.[4]) BJS' 2014 report did not discuss this statistic[5], but with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) program reporting 88% of labs testing controlled and non-controlled substances secured by law enforcement operations using a LIMS[6], it appears LIMS adoption by forensics and medical examiners labs is continuing to increase. This is important because the processes within these labs match up well with what a LIMS has to offer, with a LIMS capable of enhancing caseload management, reporting, health data security, evidence control, and more.[4][6][7][8]

Base LIMS requirements

What follows is a list of system functionality important to most any forensics and medical examiner laboratory, with a majority of that functionality found in many vendor software solutions.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]:

Test, sample and case management

  • Sample, property and evidence log-in and management, with support for unique IDs
  • Support for pre-logging of death and evidence data before physical materials arrive
  • Body reception, location and disposition support
  • Barcode and RFID support
  • End-to-end sample, body, property and evidence tracking
  • Custom and industry-specific test and method management, including for breath alcohol and sexual assault testing
  • Test, instrument, subpoena and other event scheduling
  • Test requesting
  • Configurable screens and data fields
  • Analytical tools, including data visualization, statistical analysis and data mining tools
  • Data import and export
  • Robust query tools
  • Document and image management
  • Workflow management
  • Case management, including case assignment, reassignment and prioritization, with support for unique and third-party IDs:
    • Story-related entry for cases
    • Geolocation capture and support
    • Mass casualty event support
    • Cluster and crime scene mapping tools
    • Mobile and offline data entry support for remote work
    • Dashboard view of all pertinent information for a case, including criminal case status
    • Dashboard or other view showing case and test assignment, status, and backlog

Quality, security and compliance

  • Quality assurance / quality control mechanisms
  • Standardized terminology via built-in dictionaries and medical classification codes like ICD
  • National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) and International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IAC&ME) accreditation support
  • Results review and approval
  • User qualification, performance and training management
  • Audit trails and chain of custody support
  • Configurable and granular role-based security
  • Configurable system access and use (log-in requirements, account usage rules, account locking, etc.)
  • Electronic signature support
  • Data encryption and secure communication protocols
  • Archiving and retention of case and other data and information
  • Configurable data backups
  • Status updates and alerts

Operations management and reporting

  • Customizable rich-text reporting, with multiple supported output formats
  • Custom and industry-specific forms, including body release, autopsy authorization, media release, cremation authorization, subpoena, etc.
  • Support for state-specific death certificates
  • Industry-compliant labeling
  • Email integration
  • Instrument interfacing and data management
  • Instrument calibration and maintenance tracking
  • Inventory and reagent management
  • Third-party software and database interfacing
  • Integrated (or online) system help
  • Hour, mileage, and expense tracking
  • Turnaround time calculation

Specialty LIMS requirements

As noted previously, the DOJ points out many disciplines that are used in and near the forensics laboratory.[1] It is beyond the scope of this article to address the system functionality for every single discipline. However, an attempt has been made to cover the most important disciplines and sub-disciplines associated with forensics and medical examiners labs in regards to LIMS functionality.

Forensic pathology and histology

The workflows of a forensic pathology and histology (or histopathology) lab tend to be marginally different from their purely clinical counterpart. That said, a LIMS that addresses forensic pathology and histology will still need to address (or allow users to)[20][21][22][23][24]


Forensic neuropathology

Forensic toxicology

Forensic DNA and molecular testing

Forensic anthropology and entomology

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Office of Legal Policy (26 November 2021). "Forensic Science". U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/olp/forensic-science. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  2. ↑ McCartney, Carole (2 January 2015). "Forensic data exchange: ensuring integrity" (in en). Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences 47 (1): 36–48. doi:10.1080/00450618.2014.906654. ISSN 0045-0618. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00450618.2014.906654. 
  3. ↑ Durose, M.R.; Walsh, K.A.; Burch, A.M. (August 2012). "Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories, 2009" (PDF). Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpffcl09.pdf. Retrieved 14 June 2022. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Levy, Bruce P. (1 March 2013). "Implementation and User Satisfaction With Forensic Laboratory Information Systems in Death Investigation Offices" (in en). American Journal of Forensic Medicine & Pathology 34 (1): 63–67. doi:10.1097/PAF.0b013e31827ab5c6. ISSN 0195-7910. https://journals.lww.com/00000433-201303000-00016. 
  5. ↑ Durose, M.R.; Burch, A.M.; Walsh, K.A.; Tiry, E. (November 2016). "Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories: Resources and Services, 2014" (PDF). Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/pffclrs14.pdf. Retrieved 14 June 2022. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Forensic Laboratory Information System (October 2019). "NFLIS-Drug 2019 Survey of Crime Laboratory Drug Chemistry Sections Report" (PDF). U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210318022453/https://www.nflis.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/DesktopModules/ReportDownloads/Reports/13121NFLISdrugSurveyRpt6Nov29.pdf. Retrieved 14 June 2022. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bollinger, K.; Salyards, J.; Satcher, R. et al. (August 2020). "A Landscape Study of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) for Forensic Crime Laboratories" (PDF). Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences. https://forensiccoe.org/private/5ff49f614eb00. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 National Institute of Justice (December 2019). "Report to Congress: Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices". U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/report-congress-needs-assessment-forensic-laboratories-and-medical. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  9. ↑ "Alcestis - Features". Michigan Public Health Institute. https://www.alcestis.org/features.htm. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  10. ↑ "Medical Examiner System". Porter Lee Corporation. 2022. http://www.porterlee.com/mes.html. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  11. ↑ "CoronerME - Features". CoronerME.com. 2022. https://coronerme.com/features/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  12. ↑ "Next Generation Forensic Case Management". NEC Software Solutions UK Limited. 2022. https://www.necsws.com/forensic-case-management/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  13. ↑ "Forensic Filer Online". Summit IT Solutions. 2022. https://www.forensicfiler.com/forensic-filer-online.aspx. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  14. ↑ "Coroner Software Features". Ragefish. 2022. https://www.coronercasemanager.com/features/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  15. ↑ "Forensic Advantage Systems". Harris Computer Systems. https://caliberpublicsafety.com/forensic-advantage/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  16. ↑ "Cohero - Powerful Features". Cohero. 2022. https://cohero.com/features/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  17. ↑ "LIMS-plus". JusticeTrax, Inc. https://justicetrax.com/products-and-services/lims-plus/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  18. ↑ "QUINCYTECH". Quincy Technology Solutions, Inc. 2022. https://www.quincytech.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  19. ↑ Douglas, S.E. (May 2022). "21. Forensic case and data management". LIMSpec 2022 R1. LIMSwiki.org. https://www.limswiki.org/index.php?title=LII:LIMSpec/Specialty_Laboratory_Functions#21._Forensic_case_and_data_management. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  20. ↑ Lau, Gilbert; Lai, Siang Hui (2008). "Forensic Histopathology". Forensic Pathology Reviews 5: 239–265. doi:10.1007/978-1-59745-110-9_13. PMC 7122801. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7122801/. 
  21. ↑ "Healthcare - Anatomic Pathology". LabWare, Inc. 2022. https://www.labware.com/industries/healthcare#anatomic. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  22. ↑ "Sunquest CoPathPlus". CliniSys Group Limited. 2022. https://www.sunquestinfo.com/software-and-services/copathplus/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  23. ↑ "NovoPath 360". NovoPath, Inc. 2021. https://www.novopath.com/. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
  24. ↑ "TD HistoCyto". Technidata SAS. 2022. https://www.technidata-web.com/en-gb/solutions-services/solutions/histopathology. Retrieved 13 June 2022. 
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