Result management

When our analyzers perform sample analysis, the results management is realized by an expert hematology validation station. This validation station centralizes all the analyzers connections and connect the LIS (Laboratory Information System). It is able to perform many actions automatically or manually such as: 

• Result Validation: 
  • Block the validation 
  • Or validate the result and send it to LIS 

• Rerun testing : 
  • Repeat the previous order
  • Example: Repeat the Diff a second time 

• Reflex testing :  
  • Add a new order to the existing order
  • Example: Add a slide reflex test to an existing Diff order. 

• Comment
  • Add specific comment which will be sent to LIS in order to facilitate the understanding of the result. 

All those actions can be automatized (with Rules) or done manually from the software interface. 

Automatic Rules VS Manual result management

The main advantages of using automatic rules are the enhanced TAT (Turn Around Time) and the FTE (Full Time Equivalent) optimization. Using automatic rules is an important time saving due to the fact that samples are still in the analyzer when it sends the result to the validation station which replies in real time to the analyzer about the task to do (Nothing, Rerun, Reflex…). In another hand, with manual actions, the users will need to sort the samples requiring a rerun or reflex (time loss) and to validate all the results even those absolutely normal, healthy with no flag (time loss). 

Before the installation, our application teams come in the laboratory, analyze the existing sample and validation workflows. Then, they propose some workflow evolutions in order to improve the TAT and FTE. It is an opened discussion with each customer who have specific expectations. Our approach is to propose tailor made solutions for each customer or for each laboratory. 

Our validation station embeds per default an important quantity of rules based on HORIBA Medical qualitative experience in hematology but also coming from international standards such as GFHC (French-Speaking Cellular Hematology Group).  It is also important to note the capacity of our validation station to create new rules from scratch based on customer & HORIBA Medical application team discussion.  

Each rule has “Conditions” and “Consequences”. The power of our validation stations is the wide panel of conditions included in the rules engine which can be combined together (Sample ID, Wards, Age, Gender, Hospital, Flags, Numerical values, analyzer’s alarm, Delta Check….).