TalkingPoint Commander, GHG Software’s workflow scripting solution, is being used as a bridge between legacy LIMS (laboratory information management systems) and the Free D Path specialist software for cancer registry reporting.

Free D Path is a modern database application developed by Dr Fred Mayall, Consultant Histopathologist at Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, to manage cancer registry reporting data requirements. It works on most platforms, including PCs, Macs and iPads, and has won an NHS Innovation Prize from the Secretary of State for Health.

Explains Dr Mayall: “Essentially TalkingPoint is the interface between the old LIMS and the new Free D Path software.  TalkingPoint allows us to take cases from the old LIMS system and place them in the new system, including capturing granular data (data in separate fields) that is then sent to the national cancer register using the COSD (Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset) XML data standard.

TalkingPoint can then place the text report created by Free D Path, back into the old legacy LIMS system, and so we essentially can use the two systems by using TalkingPoint as a bridge, avoiding laborious and error-prone duplicate entry.”

The main benefit of using TalkingPoint to drive the two systems is that this removes the need to change the LIMS which would affect haematology, biochemistry, microbiology and virology in addition to histopathology.

Added Dr Mayall: “By using TalkingPoint, we are now able to streamline the specialist reporting that we are required to do for all cancer cases.  This is a model that can be replicated in virtually any department that is using a LIMS system and wants to benefit from the highly specialised reporting applications that they are required to use for the COSD data which is part of the commissioning requirements for laboratories.”

TalkingPoint Commander acts as the ‘bridge’ and also enables voice commands to drive the cancer reporting process. Dr Mayall commented: “By using voice recognition, we are now able to produce reports a day earlier that we could previously, and we rarely need to touch the computer’s keyboard. It simplifies the process.”

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