Lab Matters Summer 2018 | Page 24

public health preparedness and response

Sharing the Future : Data Exchange in the Laboratory Response Network

by Tyler Wolford , MS , senior specialist , Laboratory Response Network
Members of the Laboratory Response Network ( LRN ) must be able to rapidly communicate test results to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). Currently the LRN employs both LRN Results Messenger ( RM ) and Laboratory Information Management System integration ( LIMSi ) for this purpose .
Deployed over 15 years ago , LRN RM provides LRN laboratories with the ability to manage and share laboratory results securely with CDC and allows CDC to provide remote updates for evolving reporting requirements , especially for emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika .
The Laboratory Information Management System Integration ( LIMSi ) project , which began in 2010 as a parallel effort to LRN RM , enables laboratories to rapidly exchange data with CDC using a laboratory ’ s existing LIMS . LIMSi reduces the burden of duplicate data entry into both LIMS and LRN RM . To date , CDC has provided $ 2.2 million in funding to APHL to implement 37 LIMSi projects . An additional eight laboratories have implemented LIMSi on their own , using CDC ’ s Public Health Emergency Preparedness funding .
Assessing Gaps and Needs
Despite the capabilities of LRN RM and LIMSi , both platforms require significant financial and technical support to implement and maintain — a burden shared by CDC and public health LRN member laboratories . In 2016 , APHL , in collaboration with CDC , convened a stakeholders meeting to discuss a path forward for data exchange in the LRN . The strategic planning session outlined core strategies to define LRN data messaging capabilities and needs , and to redefine data reporting requirements . The information gathered provided the foundation for efforts to reduce data reporting requirements and explore emerging technologies to meet the evolving needs of the LRN .
Continuing Exploration of Solutions
As data sharing technology evolves , the LRN will look for a solution that limits the burden on LRN member laboratories , reduces implementation and sustainability costs , and meets emerging threat reporting needs . It will continue to explore solutions that can meet the diverse needs of CDC and its federal partners ( e . g ., Department of Defense , Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ).
KEY DRIVERS
• Responses to events , especially large-scale
• Evolving LRN to include emerging threats
• Sustainability
• Advancing technology
KEY RESTRAINERS
• Funding
• Variability in state and local data management systems
• Availability and level of information technology expertise
• Diverse stakeholder requirements
Future of Data Exchange
Security , storage , speed and sustainability are a few of the many factors that will affect data exchange in the future . APHL is now working with partners to complete a comprehensive landscape analysis of current LRN data exchange capabilities and emerging technologies that could meet the evolving needs of the LRN , while considering data exchange needs across CDC . The project will explore systems and technologies such as data collation and integration for public health event responses , APHL informatics messaging services and blockchain . While a gold standard for data exchange may not currently be available , continuing to assess gaps and needs will be vital for the future of LRN data exchange . n
22 LAB MATTERS Summer 2018
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