Patrick Mathias (Presenter)
University of Washington
Bio: Dr. Mathias is an Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington and serves as the Associate Director for the Informatics Division of Laboratory Medicine. He completed a clinical pathology residency from 2012-2015 and a clinical informatics fellowship at the University of Washington from 2015-2016. His academic interests focus on applying informatics to prevent laboratory-associated diagnostic errors and developing computational tools to improve laboratory operations.
Authorship: Patrick C. Mathias
University of Washington
| Short Abstract Managing data flow for clinical mass spectrometry testing is challenging because of the lack of automated commercial solutions. The session is intended for participants who are interested in learning more about opportunities to implement optimized workflows for managing mass spectrometry data, which begins with an order for a laboratory test and ends with an uploaded patient result. This session will explore different design configurations throughout the process that laboratories should examine to improve efficiency. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to diagram the steps taken from sample to result and identify opportunities to implement lean solutions. |
Long Abstract
Unlike instruments in highly automated areas of the clinical laboratory, off-the-shelf mass spectrometers and their associated software are not optimized for the standard flow of data from laboratory information system (LIS) to instrument and vice versa. This makes the level of effort required to move and manage data much higher, but careful consideration of the end-to-end process can guide a rational approach based on laboratory resources and expertise. This session will follow the flow of data from when an order is created through the generation of worklists, flow of data between LIS and instrument, analysis in vendor software, and finally the movement of results from instrument to LIS. We will discuss different general architectures for the flow of data through the lab, the use of manual data entry vs. interfaces, vendor software user interfaces, and factors to consider when implementing more complex, reflexive workflows. At the end of this session, participants will be able to outline the flow of data through their laboratory and identify the optimal architecture for transferring, analyzing, and managing mass spectrometry data given their resources and expertise.
References & Acknowledgements:
| Description | Y/N | Source |
| Grants | no | |
| Salary | no | |
| Board Member | no | |
| Stock | no | |
| Expenses | no |
IP Royalty: no
| Planning to mention or discuss specific products or technology of the company(ies) listed above: | no |