Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) increase the quality and traceability of results in clinical research. However, high turnover of staff, insufficient resources, and lack of training in lab management may limit its implementation at Academic Health Centers (AHCs). This work aimed to qualitatively assess the staff perception of the implementation of a freeware Online Management System (OMS) on the workflow of an academic clinical research laboratory. A free online OMS (Quartzy, Quartzy Inc., USA) was selected and implemented from 2012-2016. After training interventions, a qualitative analysis was performed for the staff attitude towards the implementation, including a structured questionnaire (30 participants) and focus group assessments (16 participants). Indicators of management performance were also compared before and after the implementation. The results indicate that lab members perceive improvement in organization, communication, and commitment of staff, who reported the system as user-friendly and a facilitator for the autonomy of group members. On the other hand, there is a recognition of the need for constant training and engagement at the management level. These findings suggest that full-scope OMS may represent useful tools to assist in staff engagement in compliance with GCLP at AHC laboratories.
Good laboratory practices (GLP) increase the quality and traceability of results in health sciences research. However, factors such as high staff turnover, insufficient resources, and a lack of training for managers may limit their implementation in research and academic laboratories. This Scoping Review aimed to identify digital tools for managing academic health sciences and experimental medicine laboratories and their relationship with good practices. Following the PRISMA-ScR 2018 criteria, a search strategy was conducted until April 2021 in the databases PUBMED, Web of Sciences, and Health Virtual Library. A critical appraisal of the selected references was conducted, followed by data charting. The search identified twenty-one eligible articles, mainly originated from high-income countries, describing the development and/or implementation of thirty-two electronic management systems. Most studies described software functionalities, while nine evaluated and discussed impacts on management, reporting both improvements in the workflow and system limitations during implementation. In general, the studies point to a contribution to different management issues related to GLP principles. In conclusion, this review identified evolving evidence that digital laboratory management systems may represent important tools in compliance with the principles of good practices in experimental medicine and health sciences research.
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