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Laboratory

NextHealth Care

Included in Care Clinics Pro and Care Hospitals, and an add-on for Care Clinics

A laboratory has to show how every result was produced: which specimen, who entered the value and who checked it. NextHealth Care records each step as the work happens. Specimens are received by barcode so mismatched labels are refused at the bench, results are entered against reference ranges with automatic flags, and verification is performed by a different authorised person before release. Quality control records sit beside the results they support, ready for accreditation reviews.

What it covers

  • Sample collection, labelling, barcode and chain of custody
  • Worklists, analyser interfacing, auto-verification rules
  • Reference ranges by age and sex, critical value definition
  • Internal quality control and external quality assurance records
  • Result validation by an authorised person before release
  • Reflex testing and send-out to reference labs
Why it is hard to do well

No result should be released without a second check

A laboratory information system built for accuracy

A technician enters a potassium result well above the normal range. The value is flagged as critical the moment it is saved and marked for the ordering clinician. A second technologist verifies it before release, and the doctor sees the confirmed result in the patient's visit without anyone having to phone around to find it.

Barcode checks at receipt stop one of the most common laboratory errors, a sample attached to the wrong patient, before any work is done. Every step records who did it and when, from collection and receipt to entry and verification, giving a complete chain of custody.

Worklists show the lab what is waiting and how urgent it is, reflex tests can be added when a result calls for them, and samples sent to reference laboratories are tracked until results return. Internal quality control and external quality assurance records are kept with the lab's work. Result entry is quick, with units and reference ranges filled in for each test.

How the laboratory information system works in NextHealth Care

A laboratory information system (LIS) manages lab orders, specimens, results and quality records. In NextHealth Care, the LIS receives orders straight from clinicians and returns verified results to the patient's record.

  1. Work the list. Orders arrive on the lab worklist with their priority.
  2. Accept and receive. The order is accepted and each specimen is received by scanning its barcode.
  3. Enter results. Values are entered against reference ranges, with abnormal and critical results flagged.
  4. Verify and release. A second authorised person verifies each result before it reaches the clinician.
  5. Quality and send-outs. Quality control records are kept, reflex tests added and reference lab samples tracked.

More in NXH Care

12 more modules

Questions we get asked

Laboratory is included in Care Clinics Pro and Care Hospitals, and can be added to Care Clinics.

No. Verification must be performed by a different authorised person, so every released result has been checked by someone other than the person who entered it.

Each specimen has its own barcode and is collected, labelled and received by scanning, with every step recorded. A label that does not match the order is refused.

Yes. Values are compared with the reference range as they are entered, abnormal and critical values are flagged, and critical values are marked for the ordering clinician.

Yes. Send-out tests are recorded and tracked until results are returned from the reference laboratory.

Yes. Internal quality control and external quality assurance records are kept alongside the lab's results, ready for accreditation reviews.

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