Diagnostics & Lab
The three Healthcare screens that take a diagnostic order from request through specimen collection to a signed-off, published result — Test Orders, Sample Tracking, and Result Logging.
Overview
Diagnostics & Lab is the laboratory execution pipeline. A test order is created (or ingested automatically from an emergency requisition raised in Triage & Queue), a specimen barcode is generated and its chain of custody tracked through the lab, and the result is entered, delta-checked against the patient's history, and published — automatically closing the Lab Clearance milestone on Discharge Tracking.
Test Orders
→
Sample Tracking
→
Result Logging
Quick Start
- Open Healthcare → Test Orders and click New Order. Pick a patient, ordering physician, department, and priority (STAT/Emergency, Urgent, Routine), then bundle one or more panels — each panel auto-shows its specimen tube color (EDTA Purple, Serum Gold, Citrate Blue, or none for radiology).
- If a required tube/kit is low in Consumables Stock, a Stock Link Warning appears on the order before you save.
- Once the specimen is physically collected, click Generate Specimen Barcode & Dispatch — this deducts the tube/kit quantity from Consumables Stock and hands the specimen to Sample Tracking.
- Open Sample Tracking. Scan (or type) the dispatched barcode into the Terminal Barcode Scanner Input bar, pick the sample type and storage location, and click Log Specimen to enter it into the chain-of-custody ledger.
- Run a QC Check on the specimen (hemolysis rating, volume adequacy, clotting) before either rejecting it (with a reason code) or clicking Load into Analyzer Slot.
- Open Result Logging. The specimen now appears in the completed analyzer queue on the left; select it, enter each parameter's observed value against its reference range, and save — abnormal/critical values are flagged automatically with a delta-check against the patient's last published result.
- For any critical value, complete the mandatory double-verification toggle before signing off, then Publish Result & Clear Milestone.
Emergency requisitions arrive automatically
Every "Order Immediate Diagnostic" fired from Triage & Queue is ingested into Test Orders as a full order the moment you open the screen — no manual re-entry needed.
1. Test Orders
Purpose: A diagnostic order execution console tracking lab and imaging orders across four panel categories, with an intake drawer that bundles panels and checks specimen tube stock in real time.
Key features
- Monospace Order IDs — e.g.
ORD-2026-0001, with STAT/Emergency rows visually tinted for immediate recognition. - Panel category filter — Pathology/Blood, Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry, Radiology (X-Ray, CT, MRI).
- Order status — Pending Sample, Sample Collected, Analyzing, Completed.
- Direct ingest — emergency requisitions from Triage & Queue (and, going forward, Room Allocation) appear here automatically as full orders.
Integration triggers
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Generate Specimen Barcode & Dispatch | Writes a specimen barcode read by Sample Tracking, and deducts each panel's required tube/kit quantity from Consumables Stock. |
2. Sample Tracking
Purpose: A barcode-driven specimen chain-of-custody ledger, from dispatch through lab receipt, QC inspection, and loading into an analyzer.
Key features
- Monospace Specimen IDs — e.g.
SMP-2026-00001, generated when a dispatched barcode is logged. - Terminal Barcode Scanner Input — a top focus bar for rapid specimen logging, matching against not-yet-logged barcodes dispatched from Test Orders.
- Temperature-tagged storage — Refrigerated 4°C, Frozen -20°C, or Ambient, shown as a badge on every row.
- Custody states — In Transit, Received in Lab, In Analyzer, Rejected.
Integration triggers
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| QC Check | Records hemolysis rating, volume adequacy, and clotting before the specimen can proceed. |
| Reject Specimen | Flips custody to Rejected and fires an automated notification back to the ordering ward/triage with a reason code (#InsufficientVolume, #Hemolyzed, #LabelMismatch, and others). |
| Load into Analyzer Slot | Binds the specimen to an analyzer slot, transitions custody to In Analyzer, and forwards the payload toward Result Logging. |
3. Result Logging
Purpose: A clinical laboratory verification console with a split analyzer queue and a delta-check parameter matrix, ending in a mandatory technologist sign-off and publish step.
Key features
- Split console — the completed analyzer queue on the left (auto-ingested from Sample Tracking once a specimen reaches In Analyzer), a detailed parameter verification matrix on the right.
- Delta check — every parameter is compared against the patient's most recent prior published result for the same parameter name, shown as a before/after value.
- High-contrast alert badges — CRITICAL HIGH/LOW in bold red, ABNORMAL HIGH/LOW in amber, computed automatically at roughly 20% beyond the reference range.
- Double-verification gate — any result carrying a critical value cannot be signed off or published until a second named verifier confirms the toggle.
Integration triggers
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Publish Result & Clear Milestone | Marks the sourcing order Completed and satisfies the Lab Clearance step on the patient's open Discharge Tracking checklist. |
| Trigger Critical Value Alert | Broadcasts a high-priority banner, readable by Triage & Queue and Room Allocation, for the attending physician's awareness. |
End-to-end data flow
| Source screen | Action | Target screen / record |
|---|---|---|
| Triage & Queue | Order Immediate Diagnostic | Ingested as a full order → Test Orders |
| Test Orders | Generate Specimen Barcode & Dispatch | Specimen barcode → Sample Tracking; tube/kit stock deducted → Consumables Stock |
| Sample Tracking | Load into Analyzer Slot | Ingested into the completed analyzer queue → Result Logging |
| Result Logging | Publish Result & Clear Milestone | Order marked Completed; Lab Clearance step closed → Discharge Tracking (in development) |
| Result Logging | Trigger Critical Value Alert | Banner → Triage & Queue / Room Allocation (Patient Flow Operations) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to manually create an order for every emergency diagnostic request?
No. Any "Order Immediate Diagnostic" raised from Triage & Queue is automatically converted into a full Test Orders record the next time the Test Orders screen loads — no re-entry required, though you can still add panels and a physician afterward if they weren't set at the point of origin.
What happens to the specimen tube stock if I never dispatch the order?
Nothing is deducted until you click Generate Specimen Barcode & Dispatch — the Stock Link Warning at intake time is only a forward-looking check, not a reservation. Stock stays untouched for orders still sitting at Pending Sample.
Can a rejected specimen be re-logged?
A rejected specimen's custody state is locked at Rejected and cannot be re-opened from the ledger. The correct workflow is to collect a fresh specimen against the same order and log the new barcode — the original order stays available for a new Generate Specimen Barcode & Dispatch pass.
Why can't I publish a result even after entering all parameters?
If any parameter is flagged CRITICAL HIGH or CRITICAL LOW, the double-verification checkbox and second verifier name must be completed first — both the Sign Off and Publish Result & Clear Milestone buttons stay disabled until that gate is satisfied, by design, for panic-value safety.