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. 2022 Aug 9;12(8):1923. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12081923

Table 1.

Recommendations for the FAIRification (FAIR+) of laboratory data.

Requirements Implementation
Findability
  • -
    Assign PIDs meaningfully.
    • Each PID should uniquely identify a single patient, which needs to be consistent between branch laboratories with parallel systems.
    • Develop solutions for unknown emergency patients, which allow correct assignment of test results when personal data is identified later on.
    • Develop solutions for analyses conducted for research purposes. Avoid cumulative PIDs.
  • -

    Record actual sampling time instead of planned sampling time.

  • -

    Connect all analytical devices to the lab IT system to avoid manual entries.

  • -

    Connect the lab IT system to the hospital’s central IT system to enable searches by clinicians and researchers.
Accessibility
  • -
    Protect lab data adequately with:
    • secure data storage solutions.
    • careful data governance.
  • -

    Design ETL processes efficiently.

  • -

    Consider the general consent status of patients and allow access to data accordingly.

  • -

    Employ modern technical solutions such as multiparty computing and homomorphic encryption for merging data from different sites.
Interoperability
  • -

    Code analyses in a standardized manner, e.g., with LOINC codes.

  • -

    Additionally, code the device manufacturer and kit version in a standardized way.

  • -

    Code newly developed analyses in a homogenous way, even if no standardized codes are available yet.

  • -

    Enable consolidation of data from different labs.
Reusability
  • -
    Provide detailed metadata to maximize reproducibility, including:
    • LOINC codes.
    • batch numbers.
    • quality management data.
    • SPREC codes.
+
  • -

    Offer your laboratory medicine expertise to clinicians and researchers, as no one knows the intricacies of your laboratory data better than you.

Abbreviations: ETL: extract—transform—load; lab: laboratory; LOINC: Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Code; PID: patient identifier; SPREC: Standard Preanalytical Code. + signifies the additional human resource (laboratory expertise).