Laboratory Information Management Systems: a way to simplify the accreditation procedure
The capabilities of the STARLIMS laboratory information management system to ensure the compliance with the criteria for accreditation of testing laboratories using a systematic approach to the formation, updating, storage and prompt provision of obvious and convincing evidence are analyzed. It is shown how the information system provides management of the document flow, personnel, equipment and measuring instruments, facilities and standard samples in laboratories. The functions of the specialized Lab5725 module for implementation of the mechanisms of intralaboratory control (ILC) and the automation of processes for confirming the compliance of the measurement results with the requirements of GOST R ISO 5725-2002 [1] are described. The module is able to plan and process the ILC results according to the specified rules and with required frequency. To implement the mandatory plans for round robin tests, a special project containing information about the samples provided by the round robin test provider for further testing can be also developed by STARLIMS. Information about the test results is accumulated in the report forms accepted by the provider, and sent to him for further processing, analysis and summing up. Following the logic of the risk-based approach incorporated in the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard [2], we highlight the main risks that may arise from the development and implementation of the laboratory information system and discuss the possibility of their elimination. A specialized «Accreditation» interface has been developed on the STARLIMS base, which allows prompt requesting and structuring of the information in the form of the documents to confirm compliance with the accreditation criteria. The demonstrated capabilities of the STARLIMS laboratory system lead to a significant simplification in the preparation of laboratories for accreditation and competence verification and increase the reliability of the information provided to assessors.