Laboratory Information System Implementation in Haematology Departments of Tertiary Hospitals in Enugu State, South East Nigeria

This study evaluates the implementation status of laboratory information systems (LIS) in haematology departments of tertiary hospitals in Enugu State, South East Nigeria, and identifies barriers to effective adoption. Laboratory information systems are essential for improving result accuracy, turnaround time, data security, and quality management in haematology laboratories, yet their adoption in Nigerian tertiary institutions is inconsistent. A cross-sectional assessment was conducted at the two teaching hospitals in Enugu State, evaluating LIS software functionality, integration with clinical systems, user training status, data backup practices, and result turnaround time with and without system availability. Interviews were conducted with 40 laboratory staff and 15 clinicians who interact with haematology reports. Both institutions had partially implemented LIS platforms, but full integration with clinical records was absent. Manual data re-entry of automated analyser results occurred in 67 percent of specimens due to interface failures. Average haematology result turnaround time was 3.8 hours in non-LIS periods versus 1.6 hours during full LIS function. Data backup was performed weekly rather than daily in both facilities. Staff satisfaction with the LIS was low (32%) due to frequent system downtime. The study recommends procurement of uninterruptible power supply units to reduce downtime, daily automated backup scheduling, bidirectional analyser interfaces, and comprehensive LIS user training programmes as priority investments for Enugu State tertiary haematology laboratories. Keywords: laboratory information system, haematology department, result turnaround, Enugu State, laboratory management.