At the ASLM 2023 Cepheid Breakfast Symposium, MedX International had the opportunity to share a presentation titled "Enhancing Public Health Diagnostics Through End-to-End Digitisation", delivered by our founder, Ernest Okot.
The talk focused on practical, field-tested best practices for digitising laboratory processes—drawn from MedX’s extensive experience supporting over 800 public laboratories and five national health programmes in Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
Why Best Practices Matter
While digitisation is often associated with installing a LIMS or integrating lab equipment, the reality is more complex. Most errors and delays in diagnostic workflows—over 93%—occur before or after the sample reaches the machine.
That’s why MedX has focused on building systems that connect every step of the lab journey, not just the analytical phase.
In the presentation, we walked attendees through what we've learned works—and what doesn’t—when digitising labs at scale.
Key Best Practices Shared
Here are some of the practices that have had the greatest impact across our deployments:
✅ Patient Identification
- Use unique identifiers and integrate directly with EMRs when available.
- Enable automatic scanning of IDs or passports.
- Result: 60% faster registration and fewer corrections downstream.
✅ Digital Request Forms
- Pre-configure forms with clinical and programmatic fields.
- Update dynamically as data needs evolve.
- Result: Improved data quality and less printing and filing.
✅ Sample Collection & Tracking
- Print barcodes at the point of collection.
- Link samples instantly by scanning.
- Result: No manual transcription, better traceability.
✅ Sample Transport
- Use route optimization and rider dispatch from mobile devices.
- Enable pickup/delivery confirmations digitally.
- Result: Faster delivery at lower cost.
✅ Sample Reception & Prioritisation
- Scan and accession samples on arrival with zero paperwork.
- Use pre-set TAT targets to dynamically prioritize test queues.
- Result: 40% faster TAT and improved handling of urgent cases.
✅ Machine Integration & Result Handling
- Automate result retrieval where possible.
- Preconfigure interpretation rules inside the LIMS.
- Result: Fewer transcription errors, faster release of results.
✅ Result Delivery
- Send results directly to doctors or patients via WhatsApp, SMS, or email.
- Sync to the EMR if applicable.
- Result: Shorter result turnaround, faster clinical decision-making.
What We Learned
Our experience has shown that digitisation doesn’t need to be expensive or complex—but it must be intentional. The key is aligning digital tools with actual workflows, training health workers effectively, and using infrastructure they already have (like smartphones).
We also addressed common misconceptions:
- Digitisation is not too expensive if done smartly.
- Paper is not faster—when systems are well-designed.
- Integration is not impossible—with the right standards and partnerships.
Looking Ahead
We were honored to share these lessons at ASLM 2023, and encouraged by the positive reception and engaging conversations that followed.
MedX remains committed to supporting ministries, donors, and implementing partners who are serious about lab efficiency, accountability, and public health data quality.
If you're working on digitisation efforts and would like to avoid common pitfalls while achieving real-world impact, we’re happy to share more.
Presented by Ernest Okot at the Cepheid Breakfast Symposium – ASLM 2023.
