Lab UV SB Interpret
Back to Conceptual BF Document
Universal Storyboard - Result Interpretation
A 16 year old girl with a several month history of intermittent joint pain, low grade fever, anorexia, and facial rash, was admitted to the hospital with sudden onset deep venous thrombosis. PT and PTT were elevated, antithrombin III was normal, and protein C was normal. Antinuclear antibodies were elevated. An interpretation was requested of the PT and PTT results. The interpretation added as an addendum to the test panel indicated that the results were consistent with a lupus anticoagulant and recommended the appropriate testing strategy, which was ordered by the patient's physician and was positive.
Business Process
This scenario depicts a basic request for interpretation of existing data. The particular domain and context of interpretation will vary between cases and sites based on the details of the cases and available expertise, but the general pattern will be similar. Intepretations will usually target a particular test or panel, but will be carried out in the context of additional existing data from the laboratory, the EMR, and/or the requestor. Interpretations may be communicated as a result addendum and they may generate an additional charge. They may explain the existing results in the context of diagnosis and may recommend additional workup or appropriate therapeutic pathways.
This interaction is an aspect of fulfillment because the result is not fully usable by the requestor until it is "completed" by the interpretation. Note that some requestors may not require interpretation based on their own expertise or other factors, and thus the degree to which interpretation is used may vary between requestors for a particular testing scenario; the requestor determines when his or her need is fulfilled. Also, the scope of this interaction is interpretation of existing data. Scenarios including additional testing yielding new data are out-of-scope. For example, further testing suggested by a result should be based on new orders with new results not attached to the previous test.
