1.1 Introduction
A medical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis treatment and prevention of disease. As an authentic measure to curb mortality rate, it is important to know the diseases that contribute to increasing mortality rate. Laboratory test results provide information about the health status of individuals. With the information, it is possible to know the number of individuals that have been diagnosed positive of several form of illness that in several cases contribute to high mortality rate in societies. The following diseases bring about death and they include: HIV/AIDS, Diarrhea, Tuberculosis and Malaria etc. So many individuals diagnosed of any of the disease after laboratory test die of the diseases if they do not get proper medical attention. It is therefore pertinent for government to improve its measures in curbing the diseases because of the alarming rate at which they bring about increasing mortality rate.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Death and sickness has been associated with man ever since his fall. In every society, several factors bring about mortality rates, and the only way to properly know the reason for this is to analyze laboratory test results to know the percentage of the populace affected by the diseases. This move will provide relevant information to government and interested bodies to take appropriate action to curb mortality. Laboratory test results can provide useful information about the health state of an individual as well as general populaces. Analyzing laboratory test results gives an understanding of health situation in the world and society. The spread of the disease as well as mortality rate can be controlled if the health situation is analyzed.
The qualities of laboratory test results it is necessary to separate their main characteristics for different precision testing conditions and established the relationship between them. The main selected characteristics are accuracy and precision, error and measurement uncertainty with requirement of the international metrology guides. It is important to establish the relationship between metrological traceability and measurement uncertainty for the specific laboratory performing the test for to improve the quality of its results.
Accuracy indicates proximity of measurement (test) results to the true value, precision to the repeatability or reproducibility of the measurement (test). A measurement system can be accurate but not precise, precise but not accurate, neither, or both. If an experiment contains a systematic error, then increasing the sample size generally increases precision but does not improve accuracy. The end result would be a consistent yet inaccurate string of results from the flawed experiment. Eliminating the systematic error improves accuracy but does not change precision. A measurement system is designated valid if it is both accurate and precise. In the case of full reproducibility, the term precision has a meaning not related to reproducibility. Special role to ensure reliable of laboratory test results is to ensure traceability of measurements and estimation their uncertainty in accordance with requirements of widespread international metrological guides. The solution of the considered tasks will improve the quality of laboratory tests. Quality of laboratory test results is characterized by accuracy, precision, trueness, reliability, repeatability, and reproducibility, as well as the value of acceptable error or uncertainty.
1.3 Statement of Problem
Investigation revealed that the problem presently faced is that a proper statistics of individuals’ diagnosed positive of several diseases after laboratory test is not maintained and analyzed to understand the rate at which the diseases spread and increase mortality rates.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to design and implement an Automated Data Analysis of Laboratory Test Results and Its Scientific Importance. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:
- Analyze the number of individuals’ diagnosed positive of the diseases under study using a bar chart in order to physically demonstrate the situation.
- Provide useful information about the health state of individuals as well as general populaces.
- Analyze laboratory test results and give accurate information of health situation among patients.
1.5 Significance of Study
The significance of the study is that it will provide the government and other non-governmental bodies with relevant information that will help them to know how important it is to control the spread of the diseases so as to reduce mortality rate.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Design and Implementation of an Automated Data Analysis of Laboratory Test Results and Its Scientific Importance.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Definition of Terms
Registration: This means to keep records received from the management for reference purposes.
Materials: Few materials were found that pertain to the subject of this research work.
Time: The time given for the research work is too short.
Finances: The unavailability of finance to fund browsing of the internet, transportation and printing of materials also limited the research work.
Data: Numbers, Text or image which is in the form suitable for Storage in or processing by a computer, or incomplete information.
Information: A meaning full material derived from computer data by organizing it and interpreting it in a specified way.
Technology: Technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use technical and their interrelation with life, society and the environment, drawing upon such as industrial art, engineering, applied science and pure science.
1.9 Organization of the Research
This research work is organized into five chapters as elaborate below:
Chapter One: This chapter is concerned with the general introduction of the research work. It presents the objectives, scope and limitation of the study together with other relevant introductory details.
Chapter Two: This chapter handles the literature review. It states the importance scientific of analyzing laboratory test results, the concept of mortality rate and the statistics of death worldwide caused by the diseases according to the world health organization report.
Chapter Three: This chapter is concerned with the research methodology; it presents the system design and the algorithm and program flowchart that solves the problem.
Chapter Four: This chapter deals with the system implementation. The system flow diagram is resented, the modules analyzed and the requirements for making the system operational is also stated.
Chapter Five: This chapter summarizes, recommends and concludes the research work.
