The evaluation of hospital laboratory information management systems based on the standards of the American National Standard Institute
Volume 4, Issue 3, Spring 2014, Pages 1-5
. Sakineh Saghaeiannejad Isfahani, . Reza Khajouei, . Maryan Jahanbakhsh, . Mahboubeh Mirmohamadi
Abstract Introduction: Nowadays, modern laboratories are faced with a huge volume of information.
One of the goals of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is to assist
in the management of the information generated in the laboratory. This study intends to
evaluate the LIMS based on the standards of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI).
Materials and Methods: This research is a descriptive–analytical study, which had been
conducted in 2011, on the LIMSs in use, in the teaching and private hospitals in Isfahan. The
data collecting instrument was a checklist, which was made by evaluating three groups of
information components namely: ‘System capabilities’, ‘work list functions,’ and ‘reporting’
based on LIS8-A. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 20. Data were analyzed using (relative)
frequency, percentage. To compare the data the following statistical tests were used: Leven test,
t-test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The results of the study indicated that the
LIMS had a low conformity (30%) with LIS8-A (P = 0.001), with no difference between teaching
and private hospitals (P = 0.806). The ANOVA revealed that in terms of conformity with the
LIS8-A standard, there was a significant difference between the systems produced by different
vendors (P = 0.023). According to the results, a Kowsar system with more than %57 conformity in
the three groups of information components had a better conformity to the standard, compared
to the other systems. Conclusions: This study indicated that none of the LIMSs had a good
conformity to the standard. It seems that system providers did not pay sufficient attention to
many of the information components required by the standards when designing and developing
their systems. It was suggested that standards from certified organizations and institutions be
followed in the design and development process of health information systems.