LIMS Knowledgebase - hmislk/hmis GitHub Wiki

LIMS Knowledgebase & FAQ

This page answers the most common questions and troubleshooting scenarios for LIMS users and administrators.

Reference Articles

Common User Questions

I cannot see the Sample Collection menu.

You need the Sample Collection privilege. Ask your system administrator to assign it to your user account.

The barcode sticker will not print.

  • Check that the label printer is switched on and connected to the workstation.
  • Verify label stock is loaded correctly.
  • Try reprinting from the bill management screen — search the bill, find the investigation, and click Reprint Sticker.
  • If the printer still does not respond, check the printer driver on the workstation or contact your IT department.

I approved a report by mistake. Can I undo it?

Yes. Open the report and click Cancel Authorisation. You must provide a reason. The report reverts to draft status and can be edited and re-approved. The cancellation is logged, and the lab manager may be notified by email depending on your configuration.

The patient did not receive the SMS notification.

  • Check that the patient's mobile number is correctly registered.
  • Verify the SMS feature is enabled (contact your system administrator).
  • Check if the number is on a network that is supported by the SMS gateway.
  • The SMS is sent on report approval — if approval was done before the mobile number was added, the SMS was not sent. The administrator can trigger a manual resend if configured.

The patient did not receive the email.

  • Check that the patient's email address is registered and correctly spelled.
  • Ask the patient to check their spam/junk folder.
  • Contact the system administrator to verify the email gateway is operational.

A report shows wrong results. What do I do?

  1. Cancel the authorisation (requires the Lab Authorising privilege).
  2. Correct the values in the result entry screen.
  3. Re-approve the report.
  4. If an SMS or email was already sent with incorrect results, contact the patient to inform them that a corrected report has been issued.

The analyzer results are not arriving automatically.

  • Check that the middleware is running on the lab PC.
  • Verify the network cable/connection between the analyzer and the middleware PC.
  • Check the middleware log for error messages.
  • Confirm the sample barcode was scanned correctly on the analyzer.
  • See Analyzer Middleware for troubleshooting steps.

I need to add a test that is not in the system.

Contact your lab administrator. They can create a new investigation with the required parameters, reference ranges, and report format. See Managing Investigations.

Common Administrator Questions

How do I allow results to be entered without going through the sample collection steps?

Enable the Bypass Sample Workflow option on the investigation. This allows results to be entered directly after billing without marking collection, transport, or reception. Go to the investigation configuration and tick Bypass Sample Workflow.

The Laboratory Dashboard is not appearing as the default home screen.

The configuration key "The system uses the Laboratory Dashboard as its default interface" must be enabled. Go to Menu > Admin > Configuration and set this key to true for the relevant institution or department.

How do I prevent a report being approved when a field is empty?

Configure the Cannot approve if value is empty validation rule on the relevant investigation item. See Investigation Validation Rules.

How do I set up a critical value flag with a custom message?

Use the Value Flags feature on the investigation item. You can set numeric thresholds and custom messages such as "CRITICAL — Notify physician immediately." See Value Flags.

How do I split a fee between the lab and a collecting centre?

Set the Commission Percentage in the collecting centre's institution configuration. The system calculates the split automatically at billing time. See Collecting Centre Billing Configuration.

How do I add a new antibiotic to the microbiology sensitivity panel?

  1. Add the antibiotic to the master list. See Antibiotic Master Data.
  2. Open the microbiology investigation and add the antibiotic as a new item (type: Antibiotic) within the Antibiotic List item group.
  3. Set the order number to position it correctly on the report.

Can the same report format be used for multiple investigations?

Yes. Assign the same report format to multiple investigations in their investigation configuration. This is recommended when the printed layout is identical (e.g., all basic chemistry tests using a standard tabular format).

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