Lab Matters Fall 2017 | Page 27

informatics

by Michelle Meigs , manager , Informatics

To be impactful , public health data needs to get into the right hands at the right time and place . This has never been more evident than in the Antibiotic Resistance ( AR ) Laboratory Network ( ARLN ), where member laboratories are charged with detecting existing and emerging types of antibiotic resistance across the nation , and ensuring that local and federal experts have the timely information they need to combat these threats .

As the ARLN launched and public health laboratory AR testing capability grew , it was clear that support for informatics solutions had to evolve at the same time . Under the guidance of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s ( CDC ’ s ) AR coordination team , APHL ’ s Informatics program was about to embark upon an exciting journey .

There were two problems to solve . The first was how to get 55 public health laboratories to report standardized AR laboratory data for a number of different pathogens to a multitude of CDC Programs . The second was how to enable efficient ordering and timely resulting for carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae ( CRE ) colonization testing at the regional public health laboratory level .

The answer to both was a portal . The word “ portal ” has been bouncing around the informatics world for some time , but in the case of the ARLN more precision was required .

ARLN ’ s Approach

To support reporting on a national scale , the ARLN reporting portal was developed and deployed on the APHL Informatics Messaging Service ( AIMS ) Platform . The reporting portal was designed to capture critical AR data from public health laboratories , map it into a database and allow CDC programs to download and import these data into their systems .

To support CRE Colonization Test order and Resulting with a two-day reporting turn-around time requirement , APHL competitively selected a commercial , off-the-shelf solution called “ Lab Web Portal .” This unique solution is a fullyrealized web portal deployed on AIMS as a centrally hosted service . As this project matures , there is great potential for an AIMS-hosted test order and result portal to support surge capacity , epidemiological test approval and prioritization , and other emerging public health needs .

Evolution of portal solutions

Portals have been in use for some time on AIMS in a variety of ways , but ARLN was the first project where we truly had to identify the varying flavors of portals and look at the evolving need for such services .

CDC ’ s Poxvirus and Rabies Branch was the first program to specify requirements and deploy a reporting portal to support rabies electronic laboratory reporting ( ELR ) data submission . The rabies portal served as the prototype for the ARLN reporting portal . APHL plans to “ pay it forward ” as we continue to collaborate with the Rabies program on the portal ’ s utility , building on lessons learned during the ARLN project .

As AIMS continues to grow technical roots from a simple data exchange service to a cloud-based platform supporting national informatics initiatives , we expect the technical footprint of portal solutions to grow , allowing users to collect , interact with and exchange data in new and innovative ways . ■

institutional research

The Public Health Laboratory Systems Database ( PHLSD ), developed by APHL and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), allows member laboratories to maintain key information in an easy-to-use database of testing ( clinical and environmental ) and equipment data . By contributing to the database , members support the development of a national testing directory accessible to participating laboratories , select CDC partners and APHL staff . This directory will provide public health laboratory stakeholders with important information that can be leveraged during public health emergencies . It will also encourage collaboration among laboratories .

The PHLSD is available to all member laboratories , and training webinars are provided . To sign up for a PHLSD training and find out more about the database ’ s benefits , contact Jacob Rosalez at jacob . rosalez @ aphl . org . ■