A real-time dashboard for managing pathology processes

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Laboratory Management
• Pathology Workflow Optimization

Background:

• The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) faces challenges in timely processing and reporting of surgical and cytology specimens due to rapid growth.
• Existing clinical information systems lack pre-emptive warnings for management to address processing issues proactively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a dashboard for pathology clinical management to enable informed decisions on specimen allocation and tracking.
• To provide automated, real-time visual alerts for specimens not processed within predefined time frames.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase prototyping approach was used to design and develop the dashboard.
• The initial prototype focused on monitoring and managing pathology processes at the central processing facility.

Main Results:

• The dashboard identified operational inefficiencies and improved turnaround times within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (DPLM).
• Development of a second prototype provided finer-grained, real-time data on individual cases and specimens, based on initial findings.

Conclusions:

• A real-time dashboard was successfully developed to help managers address specimen tracking and allocation delays.
• This system supports timely pathology reporting, crucial for high-quality patient care and rapid diagnostics.
• The implementation of such dashboards in pathology can enhance patient care quality beyond the EORLA network.