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Coulter FACULTY™ Knowledge-Based System
Software functions as a consultant, assists workflow, and acts as an
educational tool in laboratory haematology.
FACULTY is available on CD-ROM. The package
consists of:
(i) Two
KBS modules, Professor Petrushka for peripheral blood interpretation, and
Professor Fidelio for flow cytometry immunophenotyping and DNA content analysis;
(ii) A complete electronic textbook of peripheral blood interpretation with over
240 photomicrographs (Diagnostic Hematology: A Pattern Approach, Volume 1) which
serves as the explanation facility for Professor Petrushka;
(iii) Database and
printing utilities; and
(iv) Eight case studies, in a hypertext format identical
to that used for the textbook, featuring Professor Petrushka, Professor Fidelio,
and the next module to be released, Professor Belmonte for bone marrow
interpretation. The system runs under the Windows (TM) operating system and
requires a video card/monitor with a resolution of 800 x 600 x 64K colors. An
interface to Coulter STKS 2B instruments is available from Coulter Corporation.
Three
different interfaces are in use at user sites:
(1) At St. Bartholomew's, FACULTY™ is running on a five computer network with a
bi-directional interface to the laboratory's LIS using a custom Coulter
haematology communications server (HCS). Specimen orders are passed from the
LIS to the HCS. The HCS filters the haematology specimens as they are run on a
STKS. Normal specimens are routed directly to the LIS. Abnormal specimens artion, to the PGP system which downloads STKS data to the LIS.
Abnormal specimens are
stored in Professor Petrushka's database. Peripheral blood film review is
performed using Professor Petrushka and the results are passed back to the LIS.
Flow cytometry immunophenotyping results are stored in Professor Fidelio's
database. We are currently setting up Professor Belmonte to process bone marrow
reports;
(2) At the three sites in Spain and Portugal, FACULTY™ is installed on the
IZASA-Coulter CITOTECA (R) Workstation which includes a mini-LIS (Modulab Plus),
instrument interfaces, and a facility for capturing images from a video
camera/microscope attached to the workstation. The FACULTY™ Paradox databases
are interfaced to the dBase tables maintained by Modulab Plus;
(3) At Cliniques Universitares Mont-Godinne, FACULTY™ is interfaced, via a
network connection, to the PGP system which downloads STKS data to the LIS.
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