Delphic AP release highlights

We’re excited to bring you up to date with new features released in Delphic AP versions 9.2.5 and 9.2.6.

Key highlights include: 

• Palga Mercurius system interface enhancements
• New features for Delphic AP’s multi-site functionality
• Enhancement of the Single Piece Workflow module
• Delphic AP qualified for Windows 11
• Label printing improvements
• Image Viewer enhancements

For more complete information, please refer to the release notes on the Sysmex Knowledge Base.

What’s new in Delphic AP v9.2.5 and v9.2.6

Palga Mercurius

The Delphic AP-Palga Mercurius interface enables pathology reporting to the national PALGA database.

• We’ve improved the Palga Mercurius messaging workflow to reduce the processing time required for retrieving patient history from the national PALGA database.
• To improve the readability of Palga Mercurius creatie/wijziging messages, report and diagnosis fields are now formatted as lines or paragraphs in XML format.
• Creatie/wijziging messages sent to Palga Mercurius for autopsy requests now contain two more fields, “datumoverlijden” (date of death) and “datumobductie” (date of autopsy).
• Delphic AP’s Post Message Service is now capable of handling larger Patient History Retrieval (ciparesult) response messages from Palga Mercurius.
• We’ve updated the patient identifying fields on custom forms to maintain consistent handling across Palga Mercurius Post messages. This ensures accurate exchange of patient information with the national PALGA

Lab Configuration document

The newly introduced Lab Configuration document stores the details of how your AP system connects to Palga and identifies the Palga system your lab is using (Kern-UDPS or Mercurius).

Diagnosis Rule Check (DRC) message format

Several enhancements have been made to the format of Delphic AP Diagnosis Rule Check (drcvraag) messages exchanged with Palga Mercurius:

• Previously limited to including only the first phrase, DRC messages now support multiple SNOMED codes associated with a request.
• Spaces between SNOMED codes in the DRC message are now removed when multiple codes are present.
• The debug tag “<answer>” is no longer included in the message.
• The “bericht id” field now contains the message ID.

Backtracking for Palga Mercurius requests

The Backtrack and Urgent Restore functions in Delphic AP lets you revert a request back to its previous status. An update in this release ensures consistency between the Delphic AP request status and Palga status for systems connected to Palga Mercurius. When a signed Palga request is backtracked to certain statuses like “Reporting” or “Signing”, the Palga status now reverts to “Waiting Signing”, preventing transmission of the request to the national PALGA database.

Unique identifier to handle patient detail updates

Previously, only one Request Patient History (cipavraag) message could be sent to Palga Mercurius per request, which prevented the ability to update patient details after the initial query. To enable multiple cipavraag messages for a single request, we’ve introduced a unique identifier (rapport value) within the message content.

Multi-site Laboratories

The following enhancements are for customers with the multi-site laboratories functionality enabled in Delphic AP.

Lab Configuration document

We have introduced a Lab Configuration document to improve the way lab specific settings are configured for each site within a multi-site. This includes settings to specify the import directories for HL7 orders and registration files from Delphic LIS, as well as the directory for ADT queries.

Support for up to 15 PIDs

The number of patient identifiers (PIDs) supported by Delphic AP has increased from 6 to 15. This development addresses the need for compatibility with various external systems that each use different PIDs, ensuring that Delphic AP can identify a patient based on the system it is communicating with.

With this release, the system can display up to 15 PIDs on:

• All lab work documents (Work Tast, Work Order, and Lab Order forms) and all Lab Details documents in Main and Archive databases
• Request forms, with the laboratory’s primary ID being highlighted
• Patient records
• HL7 reports and HL7 billing reports
• Slide labels

Registering lab assignment

When logging a request in a multi-site environment, Delphic AP now automatically identifies and assigns the Registering lab based on the user’s Local laboratory. The registering lab is now also stored against all lab work documents associated with a request.

For Sectra users, the HL7 OML message now includes the registering lab value when a request is receipted or lab work is issued in Delphic AP.

Laboratory name on printed reports and labels

The laboratory name is now included on printed reports and labels to distinguish those belonging to each site in a multi-site environment.

Extra lab work view at Cutting workstation.

The Extra Lab Work column in the Laboratory > Cutting view now displays the Registering lab (if known) for each request, so that users can readily identify which blocks to retrieve to complete extra lab work requested for their laboratory. The Cutting view screen has also been enhanced to better display request details.

HL7 billing

The directory for HL7 billing has been moved to the Lab Configuration document. This change enables Delphic AP to manage separate HL7 billing destinations for each laboratory in a multi-site setup.

Import of historical requests

Delphic AP will now record the registering lab against each historical request being imported.

Image Viewer

Additional configuration options for Image viewer

For sites using the Imaging module, we’ve introduced additional local PC configuration options to enhance the reliability of the Image Viewer launching:

• It is now possible to configure the number of retry attempts and wait times before launching the Image Viewer.
• Users can now choose their preferred application to view request form images, i.e., the Windows Photo Viewer (default) or the default Windows app for photos.

Standardised file naming in HL7v2Receiver

The HL7v2Receiver now uses a standardised naming format when generating files from incoming HL7 messages. This enables Delphic AP to process the HL7 files in chronological order based on date and time.

HL7 debug file management

Administrators can check HL7 files before sending them to external systems using the ‘Generate debug file?’ Server Configuration option. With this update, debug files are stored in a separate location from the actual HL7 files, preventing any accidental transmission of debug files to external systems.

Label printing

Registration label printer

Users can now define a preferred printer for printing registration labels from their local PC. This removes the need for registration staff to rely on their Windows default printer settings, saving time that was previously spent configuring it in each session.

Add laboratory name to printed reports and labels

It is now possible to include the laboratory name on printed reports and labels for registration, slides and cassettes.

Customisation for registration labels

Administrators now have more options for customising registration labels generated during registration. The registration label format can now include the specimen name/code, and can accommodate up to 15 patient identifiers (PIDs) to ensure accurate patient identification within a multi-site environment.

Single Piece Workflow (SPW) enhancements

Block comments for all extra procedures.

When scanning a block at the Cutting workstation, users can now view block comments for all extra procedures.

Sectra digital pathology system

Improved patient recognition in Sectra

Previously, only one primary patient ID could be sent to Sectra’s digital pathology system in HL7 messages. With this update, all patient IDs stored in Delphic AP records are now included, enabling pathologists to easily identify and locate patients within Sectra.

Specimen preparation workstation (cutup)

Automatic slide label printing for all block work tasks

At the cutup workstation, slide labels now automatically print for all corresponding work tasks that match the block ID. Previously, manual printing was required for blocks with multiple work tasks.

Alternative slide label printer for autostainer procedures

Sites can now configure an additional slide label printer dedicated to printing labels for autostainer procedures. This allows the cut-up technician to print autostainer slide labels separately from regular slide labels.

Removed mandatory colour for urgent cassettes

Users printing cassettes will no longer be required to assign a specific colour to urgent cases. This provides flexibility to accommodate sites where the cassette colour for urgent cases is determined based on rules such as the pathologist, specimen type, block type, etc.

Office area

Specimen type column in Office area

A new Specimen Type column has been added to the Office > Transcription and Office > Status view, enabling Delphic AP typists to easily view the specimen type(s) for each request and prioritise typing tasks more effectively.

General Delphic AP enhancements

Delphic AP qualified for Windows 11

Delphic AP is now qualified for Windows 11 for client PCs. Note that Delphic AP is still supported on Windows 10, which has an end of support date of 14 October, 2025.

Procedures dialog enhancements

We’ve introduced several enhancements to the Procedures dialog to streamline the process of adding procedures to blocks on a work order:

• The system now remembers the last selected procedure category, saving time by setting it as the default filter option the next time the dialog box is opened in the user’s session.
• Administrators can now customise which procedure categories are displayed.
• The dialog box has been expanded to allow users to view more procedures and longer names without the need for excessive scrolling.

Lab Enquiry action

The Lab Enquiry action button provides access to patient results in external systems (e.g. Eclair). The Lab Enquiry action button was previously only available within open request documents using the View > Lab Enquiry option. In response to user feedback, we’ve reintroduced it to the Pathologist and Enquiry views for easy access.

Additional rich text fields for historical requests

For administrators loading history data, they can now add up to four rich text fields to a custom user subform. This enables them to import additional non-patient data, such as an Opinion field, and display it with other information within the historical request.

Updating request details

When reassigning a request to a different patient using the Update Request Details form, any additional patient identifiers are now updated across all relevant documents, including supplementary, amended, and preliminary reports. This ensures synchronisation between all documents associated with a request ID.

Agents

In Delphic AP, software agents are used to carry out tasks such as generating reports, letters, messages to other documents, processing incoming requests, and system maintenance. They can be scheduled to run as required by the administrator.

Enhancements to Agents

• The Request Import agent now automatically retrieves the specimen type from HL7 messages imported into Delphic AP and adds it to the request, eliminating the need for manual data entry during specimen receipt.
• The Delphic AP Export agents have been upgraded to handle network issues more effectively, ensuring the successful export of requests to the Delphic LIS.

SNOMED

Improved SNOMED history import

Previously when importing SNOMED data into Delphic AP from a history import file, all SNOMED codes were saved under “specimen 01” for the request. In this release, the SNOMED field format has been expanded to include specimen numbers, SNOMED codes, and phrase data. This allows the system to associate each SNOMED code with its appropriate specimen code in the Delphic AP SNOMED database, enabling administrators to accurately analyse imported historical data.

In addition, any differences in SNOMED phrases imported into Delphic AP can now be recorded as variants in the SNOMED database documents. If the imported code/phrase doesn’t directly match an entry in the SNOMED database, the phrase variant field is searched.