InteLIS viral load job aids

Job aid 1 of 7

The viral load sample journey

Where a sample goes, and who does what at each stage.

Two ways a sample reaches the lab

Direct to lab	The sample arrives with a paper form. A lab user registers it. InteLIS issues the Sample ID.
On a manifest	The facility registered it already. The lab types one manifest code and activates the whole package.

The stages

1Register request, or activate manifest

2Add samples to a batch

3Print the batch PDF

4Register on the analyzer from the PDF

5Run the test

6Capture the result

7Review and approve

8Print or email

The one rule that matters The analyzer and InteLIS agree on the Sample ID and nothing else. Always register samples on the analyzer from the printed batch PDF. Never from the paper form, a separate worklist, or memory. An ID that differs by one character produces a result that matches no sample.

Who does what

Role	Work
Health facility staff	Register requests, build manifests, read results back
Lab data entry	Register direct samples, activate manifests, capture results
Lab supervisor	Review and approve, handle failures, release reports
Administrator	Users, facilities, analyzers, and the form dropdown lists

Menu map

Request Management	Register requests, activate manifests, build batches
Test Result Management	Import, enter, approve, and email results
Management	Reports, exports, printing

Job aid 2 of 7

Register a test request

For a sample that arrives with a paper form and no Sample ID.

HIV VIRAL LOAD › Request Management › Add New Request

Choose State/Province, then District/County, then Clinic/Health Center. Each list filters the next.
Choose the Testing Lab.
Enter the patient identifier exactly as written on the paper form.
Read the previous-request notice that appears. Stop if this sample is already registered.
Enter date of birth, or age in years, or age in months for an infant.
Enter Date of Sample Collection and Sample Dispatched On from the paper form, not today's date.
Choose the Sample Type.
Fill the treatment section and the indication for testing.
Leave the laboratory section empty. The lab fills it after testing.
Select Save, or Save and Next to go straight to the next form.

Do not type a Sample ID InteLIS generates the Sample ID when the request is saved.

Quick answers

Question	Answer
Facility missing from the list	It is not linked to viral load testing. Ask the administrator.
Red asterisk	Mandatory. InteLIS refuses to save without it.
Optional fields	Fill them where the paper form has the data. Reports count only what was recorded.
Barcode label	Set Print Barcode Label before saving. Use Change/Retry if no printer is listed.
Mistake after saving	Find it in View Test Requests and select Edit. Requests lock after a set number of days.

Receiving a package instead

Do not register manifest samples one at a time. Go to Request Management › Add Samples from Manifest, count the tubes against the manifest, enter the manifest code, set the received date, and select Activate Samples.

Job aid 3 of 7

Batch samples and run the analyzer

The step that keeps analyzer IDs and InteLIS IDs identical.

HIV VIRAL LOAD › Request Management › Manage Batch

Select Create New Batch.
Choose the Testing Platform first. It sets the sample limit.
Enter a unique Batch Code.
Set Positions to match how the analyzer labels positions.
Filter the sample list, then set Sort By to the order the run is loaded in.
Tick the samples, or use Automatically select samples for Batch.
Select Save and Next.
Back on the batch list, select Batch PDF or Compact Batch PDF.
Print it and take it to the analyzer.
Scan or enter each Sample ID at the analyzer from the printed PDF.
Run the batch.

Never type Sample IDs from anywhere else Not from the paper request form. Not from a separate worklist. Not from memory. A result carrying an unrecognised ID attaches to no sample, and the sample stays in the untested queue.

If InteLIS blocks the save

Message	Fix
Choose a testing platform to proceed	Select the analyzer.
Select at least one sample	Tick samples in the list.
More than the allowed number for this platform	Untick samples down to the analyzer's limit.
Batch code already exists	Use a different code.

Batch row actions

Edit	Change batch details and samples
Edit Position	Change which position each sample sits in
Batch PDF / Compact	Reprint the barcode sheet
Delete	Disappears once any sample in the batch has a result. Deleting releases samples back to the untested queue. It does not delete samples.

Job aid 4 of 7

Capture results: three methods

Use the highest method the lab and the analyzer support.

Method 1 — Interface Tool (preferred)

Confirm the Interface Tool is installed, running, and on the current version.
Confirm the analyzer shows as Connected in the Interface Tool.
If the analyzer supports manual release, release the run after review. Otherwise it releases on its own schedule.
Results reach InteLIS on their own. There is no import step and no button.

Some analyzers only connect while sending. A tool not showing Connected between runs is not necessarily faulty. Check again during release.

Method 2 — File import

Test Result Management › Import Results From File

Export the result file from the analyzer. It must carry the InteLIS Sample IDs.
Choose Instrument/Platform Name and Specific Machine Name/Code. The wrong choice garbles the import.
Choose the Testing Lab Name and select the file. Accepts xls, xlsx, csv, txt.
Select Submit.
Check the Sample source note on every row before accepting.
Set a status on each row, set tester, reviewer, and approver, then Save.

Sample source note	Action
Result for Sample ID from VLSM	Accept
Sample ID not from VLSM	Do not accept. Find why the ID differs
Result already exists	Overwrite only if the new result is correct
Test date 1+ month or 1+ year from collection	Check the date. A year's gap is usually a typing error

Method 3 — Manual entry (last resort)

Test Result Management › Enter Result Manually

Set Status to Results Not Recorded and find the sample.
Select Enter Result.
Enter received date, testing date, platform, and the result.
Read the result back against the analyzer printout before saving.
Select Save. The result then needs approval.

If results do not arrive Check the analyzer released the run. Check the Interface Tool shows Connected. Check the Sample IDs match. Then ask the administrator to check Last Seen under Facilities, the testing lab, Interface Tool Connections.

Job aid 5 of 7

Approve and release results

Approval is the check that the result belongs to the sample.

Approve

Test Result Management › Manage Results Status

Set Show Samples that are to Not Approved/Rejected.
Filter by Batch Code. One run on screen, one printout to check against.
For each row check three things against the printout: the Sample ID matches, the result matches, the patient is the one expected.
Tick the rows to approve.
In Bulk Actions, set Status to Accepted.
Set Approver, and tester and reviewer if the lab records them.
Select Apply and confirm.

Replace existing overwrites names already on those samples. Leave it off to fill only blanks.

Sample ID and patient do not match Do not approve. The sample was registered against the wrong patient, or loaded into the wrong analyzer position. Hold it and investigate.

Print

Management › Print Result

Work from the Results not yet Printed tab.
Filter, tick, then Print Selected Results PDF.
Limit is 1000 results per print. Reprints live on the second tab.

Email

Test Result Management › E-mail Test Result

Choose Facility Name (To), enter subject and message.
Set Mail Sent Status to Samples Not yet Mailed.
Tick results, select Next, confirm. Limit is 100 per email.
Results go to the addresses held against the facility.

Only approved results appear on the print and email pages.

Job aid 6 of 7

Failed, rejected, lost, or cancelled?

Choosing the wrong one distorts the lab's reports.

Pick the right action

Situation	Action	Where
Analyzer failed or gave an invalid reading, sample still viable	Retest	Failed/Hold Samples
Sample not fit to test, facility should resend	Reject, with a reason	Manage Results Status
Sample cannot be found	Lost	Manage Results Status
Request entered twice, or withdrawn by the clinician	Cancel	Manage Results Status
Import wrongly marked good results as failed	Move to Accepted	Failed/Hold Samples

Never cancel a sample that was tested and failed Cancelled means never tested. It drops out of testing counts and turnaround time. Failed stays in the failure rate. Using cancel to tidy up failures hides a real quality signal.

Retest

Test Result Management › Failed/Hold Samples

Set Result Status to Failed and select Search.
Tick the samples.
Select Retest the selected samples.

The result clears and the sample returns to the untested queue as Sample Registered at Testing Lab. Add it to a new batch. The failed attempt stays on record, so the failure rate stays accurate.

Recover results marked failed by mistake

Tick the affected samples.
Select Move selected to Accepted and confirm.

Only samples with a usable recorded result move. Genuine failures are skipped. If nothing moves, those samples need a retest, not recovery.

Cancel

Set Show Samples that are to Available for Cancellation.
Tick the samples, set Status to Cancelled, select Apply.
Type the confirmation word when asked.

Job aid 7 of 7

Sample statuses at a glance

Every status a sample can carry, and what it means.

Status	Meaning
Sample Currently Registered at Health Center	Registered at a facility. The lab has not received it
Sample Registered at Testing Lab	Received by the lab, waiting to be tested
Sample Referred to another Lab	Sent on to a different lab
Awaiting Approval	A result is recorded, waiting for sign-off
Accepted	Approved and available to print or email
Rejected	Not fit to test. A rejection reason is recorded
Failed/Invalid	The test ran and gave no usable result
Hold	Paused pending a decision
Sample Reordered	Sent back for testing again
Lost	Cannot be found, will not be tested
Expired	Past the storage life the installation allows
No Result	No result recorded
Cancelled	Testing will not be performed

Effect on reports

Cancelled	Treated as never tested. Out of testing counts and turnaround time
Failed/Invalid	Counted in the failure rate. A retest keeps the failed attempt on record
Rejected	Appears in the sample rejection report with its reason
Accepted	The only status that can be printed or emailed

Common situations

Seen	Usual cause
Stuck at Sample Currently Registered at Health Center	The lab has not activated the manifest yet
Stuck at Sample Registered at Testing Lab after a run	The result did not attach. Check the Sample ID on the analyzer
Stuck at Awaiting Approval	Nobody has approved it yet
Whole run shows Failed/Invalid	Often an import problem. Try Move to Accepted before retesting