Increase in general awareness has led more people to access independent laboratories for routine health check-ups. While this may sound like an opportunity for small labs to increase business revenue, much is lost to inefficiency. Small and traditional laboratories face many challenges in their day to day functioning —many of them arising from the lack of automated systems which can capture, store, maintain and recycle data. Here we discuss some of the major problems that small labs face:

Vulnerability due to human errors

There are many stages through which metrics and data pass before the final report is compiled. Manual recording and transposing of this data opens up several possibilities of human errors thereby putting not just the lab’s reputation but human life at risk.

Long Turnaround Time

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges due to which small and independent labs lose out to competitors is their inability to deliver fast (and accurate) reports. When labs are manual, a significant amount of time is lost in between processes. On the contrary, automated laboratories transpose data in real time so that it is ready for the next process as well as for analytics and trend monitoring.

Redundancy

One of the most fundamental tenets of efficiency is to eliminate redundancy, and small labs fare poorly at this. It is almost impossible to prevent duplication of data when it is stored manually. Consequently, when data is updated in one place, the changes are seldom carried out in all the other places that it is stored.

Consolidation

Just as with duplication of data, consolidation of data is also a Herculean task for small and traditional labs. This is where a cloud based laboratory information system comes in. It unifies and consolidates all data to avoid redundancy and wastage while positioning the lab as a quality medical facility.

Storage and Archives

Small laboratories often have less space which is why storing old patient reports may not be feasible. A lab software system stores everything on the cloud, from where it is readily available for cross checking or in case a patient asks for it.

Integration with other healthcare providers

Standalone small labs that are not connected with other healthcare providers, say, hospitals via a network are isolated and thus unable to provide much-needed convenience to patients. For example, they cannot email, WhatsApp or fax reports in multiple formats directly to the doctor’s office or to the patient. In an industry that is finding newer and better ways to provide luxurious and comfortable experience to patients, these small labs suffer from stunted growth and fewer opportunities.

While small throughput labs cannot spend excessively on special software applications, a laboratory information management system like CARE DIVA can overcome the challenges they face. CARE DIVA is a light weight cloud based LIMS designed for small labs that integrate devices with special applications to store and manage information. An easily configurable software, it provides 24/7 support to optimize the workflows of small and medium labs.