[Computer-assisted validation system applied to hematology: Valab-hemato].

Validation of laboratory reports is the ultimate step before transmission of results to the clinician. The biologist checks the intrinsic consistency of the data as well as their possible medical value that is liable to lead to other investigations. Such a policy, when performed on all the data, is time-consuming, boring and uncertain. This step may be simplified by the use of a computerized expert system. The computer assisted validation system presented here concerns routine haematology data (Valab-haemato). Like its predecessor devoted to clinical chemistry (Valab-Biochem) it is based on the performance of a powerful inference engine which generates a decision-making tree for each report according to the data. This adaptability gives the system a capacity very close to human reasoning. In its haematology version the system deals with many variables including sex, age, origin of the patient (hospital ward), and the haematological data (blood cell count, differential, reticulocyte count, various information drawn from microscope examination of the blood smear as well as any report concerning the blood sample, erythrocyte sedimentation rate). Previous data are also taken into account, as well as the normal ranges, the values beyond which no result can be automatically validated and the delta-check. Some information definitely prevents validation of the results, others can be validated if they have been previously approved. Whereas the method of reasoning is fixed, all items are changeable in order to adapt the system to the type of activity of the laboratory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)