Application of Middleware to Automated Hematology Analyzers.
- Author:
Jae Ok LEE
1
;
Sung Ran CHO
;
Il Joong PARK
;
Young Ae LIM
Author Information
1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea. feetrest@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Middleware;
Automated hematology analyzer;
Quality control
- MeSH:
Clinical Laboratory Information Systems;
Hematology;
Humans;
Korea;
Quality Control
- From:Journal of Laboratory Medicine and Quality Assurance
2013;35(1):56-59
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Test results in a laboratory are simply relayed to the laboratory information system through the interface. Middleware facilitates and manages the interaction between applications across heterogeneous computing platforms. We applied middleware to automated hematology analyzers in a clinical laboratory. METHODS: We used HemLink (Beckman Coulter Korea, Korea) as middleware between the laboratory information system and hematology analyzers. It provides quality control programs including the Westgard multirule chart and moving averages. RESULTS: Unlike the previous system, middleware does not require manual input of the quality control results. Amendment of quality control, if necessary, could be done without the help of hospital information teams. Identification of abnormal results with patient information could be achieved with moving averages. Morphology flags and system flags are checked at remote computers. CONCLUSIONS: Management of quality control results of hematology analyzers was easy via middleware. Thus, middleware could be useful to connect proficiency testing programs with HemLink and to compare results from laboratories using the same middleware.
