4 Reasons Why Spreadsheets Are Not Sufficient For Sample Management
4 Reasons not to use spreadsheets for sample management
- Insecure PHI or IP:
- Lack of remote access:
- Lack of tracking changes:
- Access Control:
Accurate collection, handling, and analysis of patient samples are core elements of a successful clinical laboratory. Also, careful sample documentation with a chain of custody and scrutiny is mandatory for successful sample analysis.
The patient sample is moved across several internal and external departments of a lab from collection to disposal. Hence, tracking these samples using spreadsheets is challenging.
Voila’s lab sample management software helps clinical laboratories track and manage samples in real-time. This blog explains why laboratories cannot depend on spreadsheets alone for sample tracking.
4 Reasons not to use spreadsheets for sample management
Labs frequently use Microsoft excel or google sheets to manage samples as an interim solution. This solution is sufficient for a short time. But labs should move past interim LIMS solutions for long-term sample management.
1. Insecure PHI or IP:
Protected Health Information (PHI) and Intellectual Property (IP) security should be of utmost concern to your lab. The lab must secure PHI in compliance with HIPAA. The lab data are considered an IP and need to be protected. This requires sophisticated security mechanisms that are not supported by spreadsheets.
Voila’s is packed with robust security measures to protect PHI and IP. It offers strict access policies. With this, labs can track the sample data accessed with a timestamp.
2. Lack of remote access:
The lab managers are required to monitor samples at any time. But, they cannot access the spreadsheets remotely. They can access the excel spreadsheets only on-site as it is stored on servers. Though some data can be accessed, the firewall-protected excel sheets are impossible to access remotely.
Voila resolves this issue as it is designed for users to have assigned access from anywhere at any time. Concurrently, it also offers more advanced sample data security than spreadsheets.
3. Lack of tracking changes:
Spreadsheets can be more complicated for information that constantly needs to be accessed by multiple people simultaneously. The changes made by users are impossible to track in spreadsheets.
With Voila, lab managers can track the sample data in real time. Therefore, your LIMS track must change so you can quickly and accurately reconstruct changes your lab makes to any document or record.
4. Access Control:
When the excel data is shared across the lab, the lab manager can limit the excel access to read-only to some users. But they cannot limit the amount of data to be shown.
Voila’s LIMS software comes with user profiles that offer an incredibly efficient way to control what users can view and edit. More specifically, it allows control of who can view and edit each data entry field.
With Voila, improve your lab sample management.
The challenges of using spreadsheets to track sample movement are not unmanageable.
Voilà’s Laboratory information management system is a purpose-built solution for sample management. Trusted by the best diagnostic lab brands in India, it has an in-built audit trail that automatically registers sample events such as registration and checking samples in and out of storage.
Voila also includes features to manage dispatches and sample receipts, so you have full traceability of where your samples are at any time, including those shipped externally.
Contact us for a free demo to get more information about our features.
Email: business@voila.health
Phone: +91 89398 38183, +91 89398 32446
