Laboratory subsystem

One of the convenient software solutions and the pride of our company is the Laboratory module of MIS «Alpha:Medicine». In the current configuration it‘s called «Laboratory subsystem of planning, execution and delivering the results of laboratory research». The subsystem provides for the use of barcoding of test tubes and interaction with laboratory analyzers.

We have tried to describe for you the main tasks solved by the laboratory subsystem of MIS «Alpha:Medicine», and touched on the most interesting and important for the laboratory software solutions.

1. Planning of laboratory studies.

The organization of convenient planning of laboratory studies from the electronic health record (EHR) of the patient in the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» is the key to the successful implementation of electronic prescribing applications. For outpatient patients, planning is performed during doctor‘s appointment, for inpatient ones, by electronic case histories.

The modern purpose of the tests:

The main convenience of planning laboratory studies in the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» is that almost all laboratory indicators are grouped according to special laboratory profiles. In this case, each indicator can be included in several profiles. Through this decision, the doctor has the opportunity to prescribe the necessary set of laboratory studies with one click on the desired profile. From the selected profile, you can exclude unnecessary indicators by clicking on the checkmark opposite. By analogy, you can add the required indicators to an already assigned profile, by ticking the items in the other profiles (if all the other profile‘s indicators are not needed and there is no need to choose the entire profile).

Excellent implementing the laboratory front office, the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» offers no less convenient back-office — the composition of laboratory profiles is easily configured in the control panel of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» for the specific work of the medical organization. Each profile is collected from a required indicators, gets good title and is used in everyday work. As a result, the doctor quickly assigns any set of tests without any extra effort.

Laboratory indicators can be grouped and included in laboratory profiles in any convenient combinations by any convenient to the specialists of the medical organization logic — according to the profile of the medical organization, the types of surgical interventions or treatment, the set of diagnostic examinations, or whatever else. Group as you like, this is the undisputed advantage of the laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine».

2. Collection of biomaterial.

After the planning of laboratory studies, they fall into the buffer waiting for blood sampling or other biomaterial, with which the treatment room works through a special service of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine». With the help of this service, the nurse registers the fact of the biomaterial sampling from the patient and prints the barcode labels for each tube. In this case, the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» automatically shows the nurse how many vacuum container of what colors the biomaterial should be taken. The nurse does not even see on the screen, for what studies the sample is taken, — she does not need this information, it‘s enough to know the amount and color of the vacuum container. A minimum of information, as a consequence, gives a well-established the biomaterial sampling mechanism with a clearly established set of actions and a minimum of time for each patient.

A modern hardware-software solution for the treatment room:

For the nurse‘s convenience and ensuring her work with the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» without removing gloves, IT Engineering Alliance specialists have developed a special interface. Thanks to a convenient software solution and special hardware, the time for the biomaterial sampling in the treatment room is minimized.

The technology of the treatment room with the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» special service of sampling of biological material includes not only a patient‘s face-to-face visit of treatment room, located in a clinic or hospital. For clinical departments that require sampling of biological material from patients directly to the ward, the service has a special technology that allows it to carry out the procedure.

3. Performing laboratory studies.

Received in the laboratory test tubes with biomaterial loaded into laboratory analyzers in accordance with the types of vacuum containers and colors of caps. Being put in the identification module of each analyzer, the tubes are scanned by a bar code scanner and identified by a barcode label pasted to each vacuum container.

If the analyzer is not connected to an external laboratory information system, then for each loaded sample, all the indicators available on the analyzer are executed, the results are stored in the internal buffer and the paper protocols are printed. To date this work order is outdated and does not meet the requirements of the modern laboratory.

The modern approach to obtaining the test results:

Centralized obtaining of reliable study results from all the laboratory equipment of the medical organization, reliable storage of results in a single database of the medical information system, verification and confirmation of results by a single monitoring service of the performance and prompt delivery to the workplace of a doctor in EHR patients are today‘s technologies built into the laboratory Subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine».

The first and most important step in assuring content of a centralized database of research results is receiving them directly from laboratory analyzers at run-time. When you connect each analyzer to a laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» there is an exchange of data between the analyzer and the database of MIS. The format of the exchange can be unilateral or bilateral, depending on the model of the analyzer. The laboratory dispatcher of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» is responsible for the exchange — it is it who provides the hardware-software interaction of the analyzers with the MIS server.

Analyzers that support bilateral data exchange, after identifying the tubes, request in the laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» a set of necessary for performance indicators for each sample. Obtaining such information from the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» from the doctor‘s laboratory prescriptions allows to significantly reduce the consumption of reagents of each analyzer — for every identified tube, specific indicators are investigated, and not all the nomenclature of indicators supported by the analyzer. The study results as they are received by the analyzer are automatically transferred to the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» for confirmation by the laboratory technician.

In a one-way exchange, the analyzer does not request the volume of studies for the samples — it performs the entire supported nomenclature of indicators for each tube and sends the results to the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» automatically.

IT Engineering Alliance experts have a great experience in developing information exchange interfaces for the laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» with various laboratory analyzers.

Support of HL7 standart:

Currently, the most common standard for the exchange, management and integration of electronic medical information is HL7, supported by almost all modern analyzers. The laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» provides data exchange with analyzers according to the HL7 standard both in unilateral and in bilateral — the most popular — formats.

4. Control of the performance of laboratory research.

The results of laboratory studies obtained from the analyzers undergo mandatory monitoring by a laboratory diagnosis physician. The value of each indicator is presented in comparison with the norms; deviations from the norms are allocated.

To confirm the correctness of the results, the laboratory technician makes an "acceptance" (Latin acceptus, "accepted"). Accepted results are available in the patient‘s electronic medical record. If necessary, they can be printed out in the laboratory and signed with the signature of the laboratory supervisor, filed in the patient‘s paper medical record.

If a laboratory technician has any doubts about the correctness of the results, he can send an application for a second analysis.

If a sample needs to be removed from the analysis (for example, a hemolysis or a biomaterial chileosis is detected), the specialist registers the cancellation of the application for analyzes with the indication of the cause.

5. Delivery of laboratory results to an electronic medical record.

The results of the laboratory tests that have been checked automatically become available in the patient‘s electronic medical record. In the chronology of medical records of the patient‘s EHR, each analysis is presented at the date and time of sampling of the biomaterial. Also in the protocol of the study it is indicated the date and time of direct execution, the name of the specialist performing the procedure, the laboratory assistant or the assistant laboratory assistant plus the name and position of the laboratory assistant supervising the results.

6. Laboratory reporting.

At the end of each shift the laboratory specialists have the ability to print a log of completed laboratory studies and any other forms of reports according to the requirements of the medical organization, incorporated in the service of the reports of the laboratory subsystem of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» at the stage of its implementation or later, at the stage of warranty and post-warranty support.

The laboratory subsystem of planning, performing and delivering the results of laboratory studies of the MIS «Alpha:Medicine» is an innovative software solution, the pride of IT Engineering Alliance company. We will certainly tell you and show you its possibilities in face-to-face communication. Working with us, your laboratory will move to a new level of technological development.

Remember, working with us is interesting. Try it — and we‘ll computerized you!

Please, contact us, we will be glad to help you.