Chemistry inventory-control software

Medical Laboratory Observer, Sept, 2004 by Louis Buettner

Q Is there a system that can organize reagents and supplies for the laboratory? We are looking for a way to bar code them as they arrive in and bar code them out when they are used, eliminating the need to do inventory. We would also like to have a printout so we can see when reagents were used or when certain lot numbers were put into use. If such a system exists, how would we get in contact with the vendor to purchase it?

A Effective and efficient management of the chemicals and supplies inventory of a laboratory is more than a convenience to the managers. It helps create a safe working environment and helps reduce costs. One article highly recommended for any laboratorian involved in the handling of chemicals was produced by the Battelle Seattle Research Center, a source focused on environmental policy and planning. (1) The unrecognized costs and safety issues of haphazard chemical-inventory management are discussed, along with a comprehensive plan for management of chemicals.

One part of prudent inventory management is the use of a cradle-to-grave tracking system. Many software systems exist for chemical inventory, and these range from simple spreadsheet software to elaborate multifeature systems that are linked to MSDS chemical-safety libraries or molecular-modeling programs. The Internet is full of individual end-users who have written their own custom software for laboratory inventory control and are now offering these packages to others. The features of the myriad systems vary by the imagination and needs of the individual laboratories and their software programmers. As is the case when one purchases any off-the-shelf software application, there will probably not be a totally perfect fit between what the system offers and what the user needs.

Carefully develop a chemicals-management policy, write detailed, step-by-step procedures, and roughly design the types of reports you want to see. With this, you will be able to discuss or correspond with vendor representatives to determine the compatibility of their product with your needs. Find vendor contact information from the reagent-supply representatives who call on your laboratory, from Internet Web browser searches, laboratory-oriented publications (advertisements, product comparisons, and product reviews), and from professional organizations such as CAP, ASCP, AACC, and ACS.

There are several reasonably priced software programs that support barcode input which you might consider:

* The Chemical Inventory Management (ChiM), J.T. Baker (www.jtbaker.com/safety/safe_chim.html)

* CIS Chemical Inventory System Standard, ChemSW (www.chemsw.com/12012.htm)

* Inventory Management in the Clinical Laboratory (InvMan), Cove Laboratory Software (www.iscpubs.com/articles/abl/b0002low.pdf)

Reference

1 Davis M, Flores E, Hauth J, Skumanich M, Wieringa D. Managing Chemical Inventories. In: Laboratory Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention. 1996:chap. 5. Battelle Seattle Research Center Web site. Available at: www.seattle.battelle.org/Services/E & S/p2labman/index2.htm. Accessed July 6, 2004.

--Louis Buettner, MD

Consulting Pathologist

Dynacare--Alabama Reference Laboratories/LabSouth

Tuscaloosa, AL

Edited by Daniel M. Baer, MD

MLO's Tips from the Clinical Experts provides practical, up-to-date solutions to readers' technical and clinical issues from a panel of experts in various fields. Readers may send questions to Dan Baer by e-mail at tips@mlo-online.com.