A laboratory test request protocol system.

This paper describes the design, implementation and assessment of a computer-based protocol application to support requests by clinicians for laboratory investigations. As part of the motivation for the work a rigorous engineering software approach was adopted not just for purely technical reasons but also as a means of maximising the role of the user.

Extensions to the HISA standard--the SynEx computing environment.

Objectives: This paper reports on the integration work required to support the delivery of healthcare. Specifically, four elements are included being: the DHE (a standards based distributed healthcare environment), Synapses which is a patient record server, XML as a technology to deliver records, and finally two client applications that facilitate structured data entry (SDE) and the remote booking of specialist services.

Methods: A general motivation for the work is presented and augmented on hand of a clinical scenario.

[Diagnosis of isolated hypereosinophilia in parasitology (378 cases)].

378 cases of isolated hypereosinophilia (eosinophils greater than 500 by mm3 of blood) are presented. The diagnosis was done for 189 cases: 184 parasitic diseases and 5 non parasitic diagnosis (3 neoplastic syndromes). The diagnosis was done more often if patients came back from a tropical area, if hypereosinophilia was observed on two samples of blood, if hypereosinophilia was major (greater than 2,500 eosinophils).