Every piece of work in VipLIMS is a case. A case moves through a series of statuses, from the moment it is registered to the moment its report is authorised and visible to the referrer. Each change of status is timestamped and recorded in the audit trail, and those timestamps feed your turnaround-time figures.
Case statuses
| Status | What it means | Who acts next |
|---|---|---|
| Registered | The case has been booked in with its patient, institution and specimen details | Data entry or Laboratory manager assigns a pathologist |
| Unassigned | The case has no pathologist yet | Laboratory manager assigns one |
| Awaiting acceptance | A pathologist has been assigned but has not yet accepted the case | The assigned pathologist accepts it |
| Accepted | The pathologist has taken responsibility for the case | The pathologist starts the report |
| In progress | The report is being written | The pathologist completes the report |
| Awaiting authorisation | An optional second check before release, if your laboratory uses one | The authorising pathologist reviews and authorises |
| Reported / Completed | The report is authorised and visible to the referrer | No further action, unless a supplementary report is needed |
| Supplementary added | A supplementary report has been added after authorisation | Referrer reads the supplementary report |
| Cancelled | The case will not be reported, for example a duplicate booking | No further action |
Step 1: Register the case
Before you start, make sure the referring institution exists under Institutions.
- Open Cases and choose to register a new case.
- Find the patient by name, date of birth or identifier. If they are new, add them. Every case for a patient is listed on their page under Patients.
- Choose the case type. This sets the case number format, the report template and the default turnaround-time target.
- Choose the referring institution and enter the requesting clinician.
- Enter the clinical details, priority (routine or urgent), date and time received, and any hospital reference number.
- Add specimens, for example specimen A, B, C, with their type, site and any notes.
- Attach a scan of the request form if you have one.
- Save. VipLIMS gives the case its number, such as
H26-00042, using the pattern set for that case type.
How case numbers are built
Each case type has a numbering pattern made from these tokens:
| Token | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
{PREFIX} | The prefix for the case type | H |
{YYYY} | Four-digit year | 2026 |
{YY} | Two-digit year | 26 |
{MM} | Two-digit month | 10 |
{SEQ:n} | Running number, padded to n digits | {SEQ:5} gives 00042 |
For example, {PREFIX}{YY}-{SEQ:5} produces H26-00042. Administrators set patterns in Settings.
Step 2: Assign a pathologist
- Open the case, or select it from the Worklist.
- Assign a primary pathologist.
- If more than one person needs to be involved, add additional pathologists.
The case moves to Awaiting acceptance. If nobody is assigned, it stays Unassigned and appears on the Laboratory manager's worklist.
Step 3: Accept the case
The assigned pathologist opens the case from their Worklist and accepts it. The status changes to Accepted. Once they start writing, it moves to In progress.
Step 4: Write and authorise the report
See Writing and authorising reports for the detail. In brief:
- Complete the report sections for the template.
- Add codes from your terminology packs where needed.
- If your laboratory uses a second check, send the report for authorisation. It moves to Awaiting authorisation.
- Authorise the report. The case becomes Reported / Completed.
Authorising creates a version of the report that cannot be changed. The referrer can now see it in the referrer portal.
Step 5: Add a supplementary report if needed
If more information arrives after authorisation, such as results of further tests, add a supplementary report. Supplementary reports never overwrite the original. They are added in date order, and the case status becomes Supplementary added. Additional pathologists on the case can also add supplementary reports.
Archiving
Completed cases can be archived to keep worklists tidy. Archiving is only possible after a case is completed, and your Administrator decides which roles may archive. Archived cases are not deleted.
Cancelling a case
If a case was registered in error, cancel it rather than trying to remove it. Clinical records in VipLIMS are never deleted while your account is open. The cancelled case stays in the record and in the audit trail.
Tips
- Use the Worklist to see the cases that need your attention.
- Mark urgent cases as urgent at registration so the right turnaround target applies.
- Use Messages to contact colleagues inside VipLIMS rather than by email.