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Introduction

The Basic Laboratory Information System (BLIS) is a freeware Web-based system that can be installed in a local, district, or national laboratory. It is a tool that can help to standardize data, which improves the ability to run useful reports and can both give a realistic picture of laboratory services and assist with staff and budget planning. With enough data, BLIS can be used to track disease prevalence over time.

Features of BLIS
  • One-time entry of each unique patient
  • Standardization of data collected (allowable entries for specimen type, test type, patient data, reagents are set at MOH level and then entered consistently throughout a country)
  • Customization to a country’s needs
  • Ability to track lab supplies such as test kits, reagents
  • Ability to run reports as specified by a country
  • Automatic alerting of data values that may be out of range(reference ranges and panic values are set at the regional or national level)
  • Daily logs to be reviewed for data verification
  • Simple data backup to a zipped file
  • [NEW] BLIS running on a cloud provider
  • [NEW] Manual data backup to a version of BLIS running on a remote server
  • [NEW] Ability to view statistics for tests reported quantitatively. e.g., how many test results for calcium are in the range of 0.5 to 1
  • [NEW] Ability to print results in bulk

As with any properly implemented electronic record system, BLIS may be found over time to improve data accuracy and reduce costs in laboratories.

Benefits seen in labs using BLIS
  • Reduced burden for technicians, as results are available soon after testing
  • Improved consistency of data entry
  • Ability to view patient history and track samples
  • Ability to aggregate data and analyze data patterns and trends at a regional or national level
  • Printed patient records in place of handwritten records
  • Printed daily logs that make the reports look like the paper forms used in the laboratory