Laboratory Information System

I'm attached to the clinical laboratory under the administrative department for the first week. This gives me the chance to learn more and have a first-hand experience of what the LIS is all about. Basically, in our lab, the LIS is linked to both the Hospital Information System and the Central Management System. As everyone of you know, the HIS is all the patients' particulars while the CMS links the LIS to the rest of the clinic under the hospital.

Under the admin department, what we do everyday is to register and bill the samples received, and it is very important to make sure that no samples or tests to be done are left out as this will cause inconvenience to both the lab and the patients. These samples that we received are collected from the various clinics by the respective dispatchs and also from the different departments of the hospital. When we received the samples, it is important to check the various samples against the names on the request forms as human error such as labeling error is often. If a sample that belongs to patient B is registered under patient A, this will cause the results obtained to be invalid. Sometimes, the samples recieved are not the same as what is reflected in the form that the dispatchs use to state the amount of different samples collected. Therefore, we must call the clinics to double check with them about the number of samples sent. There are also times when samples are not received for a particular test, and this is when we will have to call up the clinic and confirm with them about the tests to be done for that patient.

Documentation is also very important in the admin department. Once the tests are being done and results are obtained with the availability of the various reports, the request forms will be sorted and keep according to the date of register for a period of six months in case any clinic calls to enquire about a certain test done on the patient. Any request forms that are dated six months before the current month are being disposed. For the tests reports, the date when the reports are recieved will be documented, and there is always two reports, the original for the patient or clinic and the other or photocopied for the lab. We always keep a photocopied or dupicate report for reference in case the clinic calls and ask for the same report to be faxed to them.

For the first week, all I was asked to do is to register samples for simple tests like anti-HIV, Malaria Prasites, Work Permit and VDRL. I've also prepared reports to be sent to the respective clinics for the dispatch and record the reports received and file accordingly. For this week, I finally know why a systematic and organised documentation system is important as there will always be people calling up to trace for the different reports, regardless of whether the reports have been sent to them. But, it is fun and exciting to be in the admin department! Have a try if you guys are given the chance, because challenges will pop out from no where suddenly!

Hui Juan
TG01