Your session with the data entry staff yielded good information about their workflow, requirements, and technology.
The lab technicians drop off their paper forms as they're completed. The data is typically entered right away and usually on the same day as it's handed in.
The technicians are currently using LibreOffice on a Debian Linux workstation to enter the data. Using copy and paste, they can bulk-fill fields with repeated data like date, time, and technician. The autocompletion feature of LibreOffice is often helpful in text fields, but sometimes causes accidental data errors in the number fields.
The workstation being used is several years old, but performs adequately. You get a chance ...
