Applied Informatics in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Laboratory informatics core
Pathology and laboratory medicine informatics spans the laboratory information system (LIS), middleware, analyzer interfaces, electronic ordering and results, specimen tracking, and reporting. Know HL7 interfaces, LOINC for tests and observations, SNOMED CT for pathology concepts, and synoptic reporting standards such as CAP cancer protocols. Barcoding and positive patient identification reduce specimen errors. Autoverification uses rules to release results without manual review; rules must be validated, version-controlled, and monitored. Quality control, calibration, delta checks, and critical-value notification are safety-critical.
Digital pathology and analytics
Whole-slide imaging (WSI) supports remote review, consultation, and AI-assisted analysis; validation should reflect the intended clinical use, scanners, stains, and display. AI tools need local performance assessment, bias checks, and human oversight. Laboratory stewardship uses utilization data to reduce unnecessary testing, duplicate orders, and inappropriate panels.
Traps
Common distractors confuse LIS and EHR roles, assume autoverification is automatically safe, or treat WSI as equivalent to microscopy without validation. Another trap is using ICD codes as the primary terminology for lab observations; LOINC is the observation standard. Critical-value policies need documented read-back and escalation.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A lab proposes autoverifying all normal chemistry results. The team writes rules for analyzer flags, delta checks, and critical values, validates them against historical and spiked specimens, and audits a sample monthly. Rule of thumb: automate only after rule validation, and always keep a manual-review pathway for exceptions.