Patent ID: 6925391
Filing Date: 2005-08-02
Classification: G01N,G06Q,G16H,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for analyzing clinical analysis data for potentially artifactual results, comprising: using a clinical analyzer to determine levels of analytes within samples taken from human patients, wherein the samples comprise specimens of matter taken from the human patients; establishing a set of artifactual rules based upon the use of the clinical analyzer, wherein each rule identifies a potential artifactual result indicating a misleading analyte level found in the samples, and wherein each rule associates a potential artifactual result with at least one potential cause of the artifactual result, wherein the potential cause indicates why a particular analyte level indicated by the clinical analyzer is misleading, wherein at least one of the potential artifactual results corresponds with at least two chemical ranges indicating the levels of two chemicals found in the samples; obtaining analytical test data results for a plurality of analytes corresponding to a sample taken from a human patient and tested by a clinical analyzer, wherein the sample comprises a specimen of matter taken from the human patient; determining whether any of the test data results for the sample tested by the analyzer corresponds with one or more of the established artifactual rules; and if a corresponding artifactual rule is determined, indicating the potential cause associated with the artifactual rule, wherein the potential cause indicates an error in at least one of the collection, handling, storage, and testing of the sample which was tested by the clinical analyzer.