Electronic Exchange of Laboratory Data: Recommendations for Improving Quality and Reducing the Hidden Costs

Electronic transfer of data into a sponsor's database is a recognized advantage resulting from the use of large centralized contract laboratories for samples analyses. While perceived as cost effective in terms of resources otherwise spent in keying hard copy data and eliminating transcription errors, in reality, hidden costs, related to inefficiencies, lack of up-front planning, and poor communication, are compromising the advantages of the electronic data transfer process. Experience has shown that the hidden costs associated with electronic data exchange are due to errors, largely processing in nature, and that these are, for the most part, avoidable. This article provides specific recommendations in the areas of key variable identification, establishment of vendor editing and verification steps, collaborative definitions of record formats and data transmission, update handling procedures, and file management issues. These recommendations should, with minimum modifications, find utility industry-wide for eliminating these hidden costs.