Abstract
Significant problems for the transfer of information in the complex medical environment include the requirements for machine reading of a variety of documents, linking the patient and services with certainty and in the clinical laboratory linking the sample identity with instrumental data output. A system has been developed to solve these problems. Alpha numeric including bar coded patient identity is prepared readily at patient admission in negative form for patient wrist bracelet and nursing station use. All information on the negatives can be transferred by flash illumination to an ultraviolet light sensitive gummed label which may be affixed to documents, drugs, patient sample or service. Light pen scanning of the bar code identity provides a facile entry of bar coded patient, document, service, sample or result information into a computer. In the clinical laboratory automated laser reading of the sample accession number has been coupled with on line analytical instrument output. Overall this system eliminates most manual data transcription from patient arrival to report generation. It is especially applicable to minicomputers and distributed networks.
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