Key Considerations for Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) Interoperability

The increasing importance for complete, accurate and timely laboratory information is motivating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many local and state public health laboratories to transition to a comprehensive and integrated electronic information management system.  Reliable, effective and secure exchange of electronic laboratory data for public health action and preparedness is among the highest priorities in the United States. 

 

Currently, there is a spectrum of data exchange formats used by public health laboratories, including some that are entirely paper-based. The challenges in transitioning to electronic data messaging are poorly understood and the effort required to achieve interoperability is often under-estimated.   The critical issues for laboratory information management systems (LIMS) interoperability are:

1. Organization Readiness: assessment of the organization’s commitment, infrastructure, resources and technical expertise to support LIMS interoperability.

 

2. Vocabulary: LOINC and SNOMED data standards must be broaden to accommodate public health needs. Many local and state public health laboratories do not conform to these standards, requiring significant amount of effort to harmonize vocabularies.

 

3. Semantic and syntax: there must be agreement on the meaning of terms and the order of the data elements in an electronic message.  Health Level 7 (HL7) is the accepted standard for applying rules for the syntax of health related messages. However, when different versions of HL7 are used the mapping between HL7 is not always straightforward.

 

4. Messaging protocol and security: sending and receiving parties must agree on the manner in which the message will be sent (transport protocol).  Public Health Information Network Messaging System is one standard for secure transport of electronic data.

 

5. Core data set: agreement ensures that critical information is captured and the burden of unnecessary data collection is reduced.

 

6. Identification: it is essential to accurately identify a unique specimen in a LIMS