Laboratory Informatics is the specialized application of information technology aimed at optimizing laboratory operations. It encompasses electronic lab notebooks, sample management, data acquisition, data processing, reporting and scientific data management. A closely related - some consider subsuming - field is Laboratory automation

Laboratory Automation

Laboratory automation is a multi-disciplinary strategy to research, develop, optimize and capitalize on technologies in the laboratory that enable new and improved processes...

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Sub-topics in Laboratory Informatics

• Laboratory information management system
  Laboratory Information Management System
  Sometimes known as a laboratory information system or laboratory management system , a laboratory information management system is a software-based laboratory and information management system that offers a set of key features that support a modern laboratory's operations...
  
   (LIMS)
• Laboratory information system
  Laboratory information system
  A lab information system is a class of software that receives, processes, and stores information generated by medical laboratory processes. These systems often must interface with instruments and other information systems such as hospital information systems...
  
   (LIS)
• Chromatography data system (CDS)
• Electronic lab notebook
  Electronic lab notebook
  An electronic lab notebook is a software program designed to replace paper laboratory notebooks. Lab notebooks in general are used by scientists and technicians to document research, experiments and procedures performed in a laboratory...
  
   (ELN)
• Scientific data management system
  Scientific data management system
  A Scientific Data Management System is a specialized information system for electronic record management for most types of analytical data and documentation which ensures long-term data preservation, accessibility, and retrieval.- Further reading :...
  
  (SDMS)

Organizations

• Society for Laboratory Automation & Screening (SLAS)
• American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)
• Institute for Laboratory Automation
• Laboratory Informatics Institute

Publications

• Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation (JALA)
• American Laboratory

Further reading

• Nakagawa, Allen S. LIMS implementation and management. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, 1994
• Liscouski, Joe Laboratory and Scientific Computing a Strategic Approach. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1995
• Gibbon, Gerst A Brief History of LIMS. Laboratory Automation and Information Management 1996, 32(1), 1-5
• Myers, J. D.; Fox-Dobbs, C.; Laird, J.; Le, Dai; Reich, D.; Curtz, T. Electronic laboratory notebooks for collaborative research. In Proceedings of the 5th International Workshops on Enabling Technologies: Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WET ICE'96) (WET-ICE '96) IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA, 1996, 47-.
• Paszko, Christine; Pugsley, Carol Considerations in selecting a laboratory information management system (LIMS). American Laboratory, 2000, 32(18), 38-42
• Paszko, Christine; Turner, Elizabeth; Hinton, Mary D. Laboratory Information Management Systems Revised & Expanded. CRC Press, 2001
• Tracy, Douglas S.; Nash, Robert A. A Validation Approach for Laboratory Information Management Systems. Journal of Validation Technology, 2002, 9(1), 6-14
• Perry, Douglas Laboratory Informatics: Origin, Scope, and its Place in Higher Education. Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation, 2004, 9(6), 421 - 428
• Sterling, James D. Laboratory Automation Education. Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation, 2004, 9(5), A11-A12
• Sterling, James D. Laboratory automation curriculum at Keck Graduate Institute. Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation, 2004, 9(5), 331-335
• Taylor, Keith The status of electronic laboratory notebooks for chemistry and biology. Current Opinion in Drug Discovery & Development, 2006, 9(3): 348-353
• Wood, Simon Comprehensive Laboratory Informatics: A Multilayer Approach. American Laboratory, 2007, 39(16), 20-23
• Metrick, Gloria Three Issues of LIMS/Laboratory Informatics That Can Cost Money. American Laboratory, 2007, 39(21), 10-11
• Calva, Diana; Lehman, Mario An analysis of the possible applications of Artificial Intelligence Techniques to a Clinical Laboratory Information Management System. International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 2008, 8(12), 82-86
• Shah, Kim Elevating laboratory informatics to assist decision-making. Pharmaceutical Technology Europe, 2009, 21(5)