The term barcoding refers to the process of encoding information into bars and using them for identification purposes. The barcodes can be read and verified using a barcode scanner, which allows the users to verify the associated anything with the scanned barcode. Barcodes help to create a unique identity for anything, thereby allowing the users to maintain accuracy in related processes.
Barcodes are utilized in almost every industry and it plays a vital role in the healthcare industry too. They help in maintaining accuracy, in pharmacy integration, and assisting to choose the right medicine. Likewise, at diagnostic labs, it is easy to manage the sample with barcodes, right from collection to archival. A Lab Information Management System can boost the lab’s efficiency, when it can handle barcodes, throughout the workflow.
Role of barcodes in lab operations
Sample Tracking - The foremost of all the lab operations is sample collection. This could happen in different ways, by home collection, B2B, or even at the lab. But identifying the collected sample, tracking them by time and location, and tracing the sample’s flow stage-wise, or phase-wise is possible, only with the use of these barcodes. Once a sample is collected, a unique barcode is generated and assigned to the collected sample.
Reagent and Supply Tracking - As barcodes act as unique identifiers, this is used to manage the lab’s inventory, as tracking and analysing the stock availability is greatly possible and error-free with barcodes. Hence, the shortage of stock is completely avoided.
Instrument and Equipment Tracking - Labelling lab instruments and equipment assists in analyzing and understanding the usage, calibration, and efficiency schedules.
Quality Control - Barcodes can guide in verifying the reagents, equipment, and sample in use, thereby assuring high-quality and accuracy in results.
Streamlining workflow - With barcodes, sample management is achieved efficiently, thus optimizing the workflow of the lab operations and sample lifecycle is accomplished effectively, especially without manual intervention.
Data Integration - The information generated and utilized by barcode scanning is vital for further operations at the lab like sample identification, sample management, etc., and this data is integrated with the LIMS.
Benefits of using barcodes for lab operations
The day-to-day operations at the lab involve handling a high volume of samples, which needs to be done following great precautionary measures, to avoid errors and maintain high customer satisfaction. Also, monitoring the stocks, instruments, etc., is an essential item on the to-do list for lab operations. Eventually, the barcode solves this problem by serving as a unique identifier for the samples, stocks, instruments, etc.,
Lab Management Software follows intelligent methods to handle lab operations and achieves perfect results, every day. Barcodes have made them better, by ensuring the following benefits are definitely available to the users.
Improved Accuracy - As barcodes are unique and can be handled digitally, manual errors cannot occur. This ensures the data held is precise and end results are flawless.
Increased Efficiency - As each of the physical items like test samples, stocks, and equipment are managed with barcodes, there is no need to enter data manually, and the process happens quickly. This improves the efficiency of lab operations, gaining highly precise and on-time end results.
Streamlined Sample Tracking - Firstly, a collected sample is associated with a barcode. This helps the labs to ensure that the sample is tracked completely with the lab software, from the time and point of collection to reception, through the different phases of the sample lifecycle stagewise, till archival of the sample, and retrieval later. This completely removes the causes for errors or mix-ups while handling a high volume of samples.
Improved Inventory Management - Using barcodes can help to identify the availability against requirements, for stocks, lab equipment, reagents, etc., which makes a great opportunity to avoid demand due to unavailability of resources, thereby ensuring that the lab operation is not interrupted for such causes.
Enhanced Data Management - Barcodes affiliate a unique identity to each item, thereby generating data regarding the same. This data is managed with LIMS, thereby ensuring patient data management is top-notch, which in turn improves patient care and enhances data management practices.
Lab Information Management Software has proven its ability to achieve precise results from lab operations. Choosing a LIMS that handles barcodes is highly essential as barcoding makes it better efficient and accurate.
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