Exploring end users' system requirements for a handheld computer supporting both sepsis test workflow and current IT solutions.

Sepsis is a systemic response associated with very high mortality. Early initiation of the correct antimicrobial therapy remains a cornerstone in the treatment of sepsis. Currently, a new microbiological test is under development, which aims to detect major, prevalent pathogens in positive blood cultures within an hour. Concurrently, a tablet-based data entry and reporting system will be developed to facilitate the workflow of the test. This study investigated the system requirements for the tablet-based data entry and reporting system in order to support the clinical workflow. By observing the workflow of the blood culture analysis and through interviews with medical laboratory technicians, four main system requirements were identified. The system requirements are; the ability to receive and send data to the laboratory information system, support for the use of barcodes, the ability to access a browser based instruction system, and communication of results between medical laboratory technicians and physicians. These system requirements will be used as a basis in the future development of the tablet-based data entry and reporting system.