Overcome challenges & gain efficiencies with a single platform: Introducing LabVantage MAP (Morgue, Autopsy, Pathology) software
Pathologists and medical examiners at hospitals and morgues must input, process, manage, and report on innumerable items – all at a fast pace – while responding to multiple stakeholders.
Among the many high-pressure challenges they face:
- In forensic laboratories, autopsies are needed to establish identities, estimate the time, cause and manner of death, or further the understanding of medical conditions like COVID-19. Tracking information about the deceased can be complex even under normal conditions:
- Every physical item relating to an investigation must be documented, stored, and maintained within a proper chain of custody, from wedding rings to tissue samples and even the body itself.
- These must be linked with the decedent’s medical history, external and autopsy observations, next-of-kin, interview notes, and other information.
- In legal cases, pathological findings have the potential to convict suspected criminals. Under such conditions, accuracy and compliance with chain of custody requirements are critical to the outcome.
- Many different people and organizations contribute, and require access to, these records and artifacts. In addition to the medical examiners themselves, they may include crime scene investigators, detectives, forensic supervisors and examiners, hospital administrators, lab managers and legal teams presenting evidence in criminal trials.
- Each of these stakeholders needs to provide information and/or capture relevant observations in formats suited to their respective roles.
- And while the autopsy rate in the United States has fallen substantially since the 1970s, even a small percentage of deaths can create substantial workloads for medical examiners. This is especially true in urban regions with large populations or rural areas with limited forensic pathology resources.
- In extraordinary circumstances such as a mass disaster, all of these complex tasks and requirements are magnified. Imagine working with a paper-based system immediately after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
- More recently, the global pandemic caused significant increases in mortality rates. Estimated global excess deaths to date in 223 countries and regions are likely to exceed 27 million. According to The Economist and the World Health Organization (WHO), the total may be as much as two to four times higher than the official number of confirmed deaths resulting from COVID-19.
The importance of the pathologist’s or medical examiner’s work, whether for testing, autopsies or criminal investigations, means the stakes are high, requiring accuracy and easy access to detailed data sets.
Another challenge faced by medical examiners and pathologists is the software systems in their labs today.
- Organizations using older software often find that their current systems can’t keep up. These platforms – often not purpose-built for pathologist or medical examiner use – may lack the ability to track case information or integrate with needed external systems. Hospital or morgue IT departments may be forced to ‘bolt together’ disparate software systems to solve the integration puzzle, leaving holes in data capture and sharing, and frustrating those who must use the system. At smaller or rural hospitals and morgues, paper may still be used to manage cases, causing time loss and opening the door to potential errors.
Streamlining and speeding caseloads is a clear necessity, with IT systems playing an important role in completing day-to-day tasks and overall case management while ensuring data security and regulatory compliance.
Single, Pre-Configured Platform Speeds Data Gathering, Reporting, Sharing
A single software platform already pre-configured for pathologists and medical examiners resolves these challenges. LabVantage, a leading supplier of laboratory information systems, designed its MAP (Morgue, Autopsy, Pathology) module to eliminate paper and problems with outdated software, enabling advanced supervision and improved workflow management.
For pathologists and medical examiners in hospital or forensic environments, the MAP platform addresses the many complexities of tracking, following SOPs and sample progress through the lab, reporting full audit trails and easily sharing case data with involved parties. Items collected during autopsy can be easily queued up for submission to the forensic lab. Reception in the lab imports all relevant data already captured by the medical examiner’s office such as name, case numbers, exhibits, etc. This mitigates the need for redundant data entry and possible administrative errors. The result is a significantly more efficient workflow for histology, cytology, clinical genetics, and autopsy data with reduced risk of errors, and a simpler, intuitive system for lab staff.
For forensic pathologists, the MAP module combined with LabVantage’s Forensic Navigator module also expedites case management, bringing together all contacts, tests, reports, and attachments while documenting an unbreakable chain of custody. Importantly, forensic evidence can be located easily and immediately, and formerly siloed data is pooled together to enable more confident decision-making and achieve rapid case resolution.
Ideal for organizations that have both a medical examiner and forensic laboratory, LabVantage MAP software provides one umbrella platform, meeting their many needs and providing a convenient interface with public databases that require cause and manner of death data.
For IT departments, the MAP platform can be a welcome upgrade to managing multiple technologies. This platform provides one source for training, updates and support, simplifying IT oversight. With its zero-footprint installation requirements, teams can be up and running quickly. Open architecture allows personalization and configurations to be supported in future updates, while the system is adaptable to evolving best practices and compliance requirements.
Connecting all relevant stakeholders with a single source of data is highly valuable for busy professionals at hospitals and morgues. Discrepancies and redundancies are eliminated, and error-prone manual processes become a thing of the past. Ease of use for all involved stakeholders is especially valued: both modules serve as secure online portals for real-time access to role-relevant data, including the ability to make requests for testing, check on case status, and download copies of final reports.
Schedule a demo today to see how the LabVantage MAP and Forensic Navigator can support your organization’s mission of determining cause and manner of death in the community you serve.
