Tracking notice board

[peter_sounthararajah]

Hi all.

Complete nube here. Is it possible to create a program to track a specimen through the lab.

Basically we have certain cases we need to fast track.

We start with a name. And pick it out from what arrives.
Is there a way if noting when it arrives in 3-4 areas and for it to be displayed on each terminal.
Kind regards Peter

[scotty101]

You could do something with barcode scanners to "check in" the specimens and record their progress though various stages. You'd also need a database with information about each sample and it's priority.

It is unlikely that there is an existing project that will meet your exact needs but this is certainly possible.

The Raspberry Pi has no "special powers" to make this project any more possible that it would be on a regular PC. It is more affordable though.

[peter_sounthararajah]

I really like the barcode scanner idea, but this won't be useful untill we get our new cassette printer that will have a 3d barcode. (We've been asking for one for way over a year, hospitals Hu)

The process starts with an email that tells us that there is a specimen is on its way. It arrives and we book it in and this give us a specimen number.
We just need a way to track it through the lab so we can tick it off as it passed through each section as our computer system is not setup to perform this. Each terminal needs to update eachother and as it's patients details it needs to be a secure transmission.

We probably only get no more than 6 a day out of 100. Thinking 4 touch screen terminals fixed to a wall and and one in the managers office.

Is this an easy project and where to start.
Kind regards Peter

[hippy]

Seems easy enough. A central database with name, sample number or ID, and a status of where it is within the lab. Each workstation can interact with that database, select the sample they have received, mark it as received, do whatever, pass it on, and mark it as passed on and who/where to.

You could probably do it with a single web server plus database and use web browsers in every workstation area providing a GUI interface.

[peter_sounthararajah]

Could you brake down the process please.

[hippy]

Not sure how you mean by "process" but to implement the server scheme you would need someone who can develop server code which can handle incoming samples and put its data in the database, develop code which allows its status to be updated, and code which allows others to see the relevant parts of that database.

Anyone with web server or 'CGI programming' experience could probably do it but those who have done similar before can probably say what the best way to approach it would be, what tools and programming languages are best to use.

To start with you will need a detailed specification for how things will work; what data there is to be held and entered, what the mechanisms will be used to update a sample's status, and what each workstation needs to see.

When you have a specification which could be handed to someone and they could come back with what you want, you can either hand it to someone who can deliver that, or set about implementing it in-house.