Cloud-Based Systems Becoming Key Pillar in eHealth Strategy

Cloud-based laboratory information management systems (LIMS) are becoming a key pillar in Europe’s e-Health strategy as data-management solutions for modern testing will generate more demand for these systems.

Investments in cloud-based LIMS are part of Europe’s e-Health strategy. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, CA, USA), in their report “Analysis of the Western European Laboratory Information Management System Market,” finds that the market earned revenues of USD 303.5 million in 2014 and estimates this to reach USD 394.1 million in 2021. Even as LIMS providers in Western Europe focus on offering hosted software-as-a-service with free automatic upgrades and built-in customizations, their success will depend on the ability of the products to meet the needs of diagnostic, specialty, and hospital laboratories to provide low turnaround times for testing patient samples.

“The development of LIMS that support genetic and molecular testing requirements can speed up these processes and have a high impact on preventative medicine in Western Europe,” said Frost & Sullivan healthcare industry analyst Srinivas Sashidhar, “For the specialized process of genetic testing, however, traditional LIMS will have to undergo modifications to suit the workflow requirements of a genetic laboratory. The integration of such features with traditional LIMS is also necessary to respond to the unique needs of complex diagnostic sectors such as cytogenetics, human leukocyte antigen typing, and flow cytometry.”

Therefore, LIMS must evolve to have higher data storage capacity as well as the ability to detect genetic arrangements and access sample records that contain gene database information. This will make capabilities such as high-speed computing and processing, and sophisticated software for specimen tracking, quality assurance, and quality control documentation crucial for success.”

While all this can be achieved, justifying the return on investment after replacing old LIMS will be a challenge for vendors in Western Europe; especially in the case of expensive high-end enterprise LIMS modules. Another cause for concern is that very few laboratories, hospitals, and research institutions are organized in Europe—either their management teams are not technically sound or vendors have not managed to clearly express the LIMS cost break-up. “When it comes to mid-sized laboratories, it is easier for vendors to explain product technicalities, reduce the consulting hours for the analysis of laboratory infrastructure, and achieve installation and execution within the scheduled time,” observed Sashidhar, “In other cases though, a communication gap prevails between vendors and customers during the initial stages of discussion, preventing both sides from fixing the LIMS installation price.”

As such, the future lies in integrating LIMS with electronic laboratory notebooks so that data from laboratory instruments can be automatically transferred back and forth in real-time. Integrating LIMS with hospital information systems (HIS) is also an upcoming trend in Europe.

“Instead of each laboratory operating its own LIMS and having vendors maintain the systems individually, a remotely located LIMS hub can support all laboratory operations within the region,” added Sashidhar, “The hospital laboratories integrated with this chain will also establish Web-enabled electronic patient records. Overall, this Service Integrated Architecture model will be an easier and cost-effective method for laboratory management.”

Frost & Sullivan’s other related studies include: “Analysis of the US LIMS Market,” “Global Survey on Laboratory Information Management Systems,” and “Opportunities in Healthcare Cloud Market in the United States and Europe.” All reports included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated.

Related Links:
Frost & Sullivan
Analysis of the Western European Laboratory Information Management System Market, report
Growth, Innovation, & Leadership event – GIL 2015: Silicon Valley