The Difference Between a LIS and LIMS. And Why It Matters

You're in the lab and know you must move beyond paper, pencil, and Excel spreadsheets toward digitalization. Your colleagues have told you good things about managing workflows and documentation with Digital Lab Platforms.

But investigating digital lab platforms can be confusing, as there is an alphabet soup of different platforms and respective acronyms (an ELN vs. LIMS, for instance), features, and use cases. 

If you’re in the clinical diagnostic space, you’ve probably heard of or used an LIS (or Laboratory Information System). However, if you’re in academia, biotech, or R&D, you may have heard the term LIMS (or Laboratory Information Management System). 

They sound so similar that you may wonder if these are just two different ways to say the same thing. In the following blog, we review the difference between an LIS and a LIMS and how you know which platform suits your lab.

LIS vs LIMS: An Overview

LIS and LIMS are not the same thing; contrary to popular belief, the difference can be quite stark. 

What is an LIS?

A Laboratory Information System (LIS) is software designed to manage clinical laboratory operations, including sample tracking, test ordering, result reporting, and quality control. It enhances efficiency, data accuracy, and compliance with regulatory standards. Hospital laboratories may have the option to integrate this with their electronic health records (EHR) to have results directly imported into patient records.

What is a LIMS?

A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is software designed to manage laboratory operations, including sample tracking, data management, workflow automation, and regulatory compliance. By streamlining processes and integrating with other systems, it enhances efficiency and accuracy in clinical and research laboratories.

The Function of an LIS vs. a LIMS

The main function of an LIS is to provide the appropriate productivity tools to ensure that an external third party (e.g., a patient or health care provider) receives accurate test results quickly. While a LIS is typically used by personnel in a diagnostic lab, it is intended to be primarily an external, “patient-” or “provider-facing” platform.

Conversely, the primary function of a LIMS is to provide a centralized representation of a lab (including the samples, reagents, supplies, and equipment) and the data generated from specific samples and equipment. It’s an internal, “personnel-facing” platform that can be used across any lab that is managing samples in a wide array of industries. 

Does Your Lab Need a LIS? Or a LIMS?

Has your reading made you think you need more clarification, or might even need both an LIS and a LIMS in your lab? You may even need to better define your own lab’s goals and priorities.