Analytical laboratory management

Koch, M. V., Bulletin of the Analytical Laboratory Managers Association, Special Edition 87-1, 8-18. 

A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is a computer or computer network used to automate the acquisition and management of raw analytical data. In its simplest form, it tracks samples and test results through analytical laboratories and provides summaries of the status of these samples and tests. In its most advanced form, the system is interfaced to the laboratory s instmmentation and communication network to allow automation of data gathering, compilation, and reporting. 

QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE INDUSTRIAL ANALYTICAL LABORATORY - DO WE GET OUR MONEY S WORTH ... 

J. Klaessens, T. Saris, B. Vandeginste and G. Kateman, Expert system for knowledge-based modelling of analytical laboratories as a tool for laboratory management. J. Chemometrics, 2 (1988)49-65. 

There is an abundance of references defining and describing the role played by QA, Quality Control (QC) and Total Quality Management (TQM) in a modem commercial analytical laboratory. The role played by reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials (CRMs) in the pursuit of analytical measurement accuracy is also well documented. 

Transport of samples to the analytical laboratory presents the staff of organizations conducting field frials with the most difficult problem and is the area where many studies have failed as a result of samples being lost, defrosted, or shipped to the wrong place. The number of experiences and ill fortune that have befallen many Field Trial Managers are too many to mention. 

The OPMBS was sponsored by a task force, consisting of major registrants of organophosphate pesticides, and utilized three contract organizations to carry out study management, design and conduct of sample collection, and quality assurance (QA). Four analytical laboratories performed the necessary residue analyses. 

Communication among all individuals involved in an LSMBS is crucial. Lines of communication must be clearly defined and must be in place well before the study is initiated. Therefore, lines of communication between the persons who collect and ship commodities, the field phase managemenf sfudy personnel, fhe analytical laboratories, and overall study management must all be clearly established prior to study initiation. This delineation of the lines of communication must include oral and written communication, including the transmittal of raw data such as sample collection logs and chain of custody forms. 

Each analytical laboratory inspected shipments as they were received, and documented the receipt of the samples and their condition. Any problems were immediately communicated to the appropriate field phase management study personnel to facilitate immediate corrections, such as re-shops required because the wrong commodity had been sampled. 

In any study involving analyses, part of the responsibility of management at the analytical laboratory is the review and approval of intermediate and final reported results. In an LSMBS, such review and approval must take place at each analytical laboratory involved in the study. However, different laboratories may focus on different aspects of the analyses, and some means to ensure that review procedures and approaches are consistent among the laboratories is needed. It is advisable, therefore, to include an additional review, termed here an external review , beyond that conducted by the individual laboratories. 

QA is an important aspect of any technical study. It is particularly crucial in an LSMBS, because several hundred participants, widely separated geographically, are involved. The analytical laboratories typically have standard provisions for QA inspections and reviews, and the field phase management organization is also likely to have standard provisions for QA inspection and review. Shoppers, however, are typically external to study management and analytical laboratories and, thus, are not directly covered by existing QA systems. The study design must include a means by which the field phase, i.e., sample collection and shipment by the shoppers, is made to comply with QA requirements. 

Wieck et al.188 reported on what they called "a simple approach to micro-computer-controlled electrochemistry , which in fact represents a considerable amount of laboratory automation. In this direction, the "enhancement of the performance of analytical laboratories, a theoretical approach to analytical planning by Janse and Kateman189 represented a further step in laboratory management. 

Nilsen CL (1996) Managing the analytical laboratory plain and simple. CRC, Interpharm Press, Buffalo Grove, IL... 

Blind samples are types of sample which are inserted into the analytical batch without the knowledge of the analyst - the analyst may be aware that blind samples are present but not know which they are. Blind samples may be sent by the customer as a check on the laboratory or by laboratory management as a check on a particular system. Results from blind samples are treated in the same way as repeat samples - the customer or laboratory manager examines the sets of results to determine whether the level of variation, between repeat measurements on the blind sample or between the observed results and an expected value, is acceptable, as described in Section 5.4.3. 

This chapter covers the different types of documentation found in an analytical laboratory. These include the documents which are part of the management system and those dealing with the activities in specific areas of the laboratory. The control of documents is also covered. There are sections on the production and management of records. Finally, there is a brief description of what is meant by the accreditation of opinions and interpretations. 

You are employed in an analytical laboratory in a group measuring the concentration of residues of pesticides. Your company is developing tests for a new pesticide to determine the amount that is left in food after harvesting. You are asked to set up a quality management system, because your laboratory s management has decided that the quality of your group s analytical work should be assessed by an appropriate independent authority. 

Quality assurance (QA) is a generic term for all activities required to maintain quality in analytical results. These include laboratory management structures and sample documentation procedures, as well as the more practical sample preparation and analysis requirements (as described above). The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) develops standards across a wide range of areas, from screw threads to banking cards. The majority of ISO standards are specific to certain areas they are documented agreements containing technical specifications or precise criteria to be used... 

In this chapter, we have advocated the use of a computer for plotting the standard curve and performing the least squares fit procedure. Indeed, computers play a central role in the analytical laboratory for acquiring and manipulating data generated by instruments and for information management. 

During this phase, little thought was directed to the wider problems which confront a laboratory which changes from a regime based on manual analysis to one dependent on automation. However, many laboratories now have several years of experience with automated systems, and it is possible to address the broader issues. Brief consideration is given here to the problems which the introduction of automated analysis pose for the analytical chemist and for the laboratory management. 

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