Microcomputer reporting and information system for microbiology

A computerized reporting and information system for microbiology employing a relatively inexpensive microcomputer is described. A comprehensive approach to accessioning and result entry for microbiology is presented. A daily laboratory worklist is generated for each work area, providing the responsible technologist with information on previously processed specimens. Manipulation of patient and specimen information permits the performance of various functions, including the generation of billing reports, workload statistics, quality-control summaries, epidemiologic surveys, and cumulative reports. The employment of many user-definable data lexicons allows optimal use of disk space while affording rapid information retrieval. Data file maintenance is automatically accomplished by the system, requiring no user intervention.