Lab data mining and analytics: A framework for business intelligence and decision making
It is widely recognised that laboratory data is at the heart of healthcare decisions. How do we harness the information generated in the lab for value-added healthcare delivery? Pathology databases can be considered a repository of established knowledge and a source for new knowledge from which to build a framework for business intelligence and clinical decision making.
Business intelligence to maximise the efficiency and quality of the lab operation
Enormous volumes of data flow through laboratory information systems each day. Orders are received, specimens are tracked, results are entered and verified and reports are sent back to the ordering clinicians. Most laboratories gain value from the transactional activity in these databases and the use of laboratory information systems to support daily lab testing and result delivery. For example,
Clinical decision support
Pathology data can provide a means to identify clinical issues affecting specified populations, perform epidemiologic and public health studies, and provide decision support through clinical alerts and prediction. Diagnostic results are associated with demographic information and temporal data such as location, discharge status, age, date, gestation and the patient’s clinical details. Looking at relational trends in the data can provide a wealth of intelligence for data mining potential to provide a framework for decision support and clinical alerts.
Lab data mining and analytics: A framework for business intelligence and decision making continued …
Common examples include:
Analytics in your LIS
Clinical laboratories and their contribution to the future of healthcare can benefit greatly from adopting a data-centric mind-set and are beginning to tap into the enormous benefits of aggregating and analysing that data. There are different ways to approach advanced analytics in your LIS:
Product cost and return on investment in terms of business benefits and clinical outcomes are key determinant of the right approach.
In summary, your laboratory’s data is captured in its most detailed form. Mining and analysing this data can be used to answer a number of questions and track clinical trends. This information can be applied in research and clinical decisions and to support business process. This enables improved laboratory management and enhanced clinical support.
Written by:Deborah Steele
Deborah Steele is the Health IT Product Manager at Sysmex and oversees the direction of the Sysmex IT product suite. Deborah’s experience includes 9 years as a Medical Laboratory Scientist working in both New Zealand and London, pharmaceutical industry product management, plus 12 years’ in product specialist and marketing roles at Sysmex.