LABDESKUser guide
How to do things in LabDesk
Short answers, in the words people use at the front desk.
Register a new patient
Press NEW PATIENT at the top. Fill in the patient's details on the left, tick the tests in the middle, type any discount and the amount paid on the right, then press REGISTER PATIENT. The report opens straight away so results can be entered.
The patient came from a doctor, or on their own
On the New patient screen, under "Who sent the patient?", choose "Self (walk-in)" or "A doctor". When you choose a doctor, type the name. Names you typed before appear as small buttons; press one to use it. The doctor's name is printed on the report as "Referred by".
Add the patient's email
The Email box on the registration screen is optional. If you type one it must look like name@example.com. You can add or change it later with EDIT PATIENT.
Correct a mistake in the patient's name, age, phone or doctor
Open the report (Reports list), then press EDIT PATIENT at the top right. Change what is wrong and press SAVE CHANGES. Once a test is approved, age and gender are locked because they decide the normal ranges; to change them the doctor must first open the report for correction. After the report is delivered only phone, email and address can change.
Print the bill
Open the report and press BILL PDF (just left of REPORT PDF). It works as soon as the patient is registered, before any result is ready. The PDF opens so you can print it.
Print the report
A report can be printed after the doctor approves it. Press REPORT PDF. Use the LETTERHEAD button to switch the letterhead on (for plain paper) or off (for paper that is already printed).
Enter results
Open the patient from Reports. Type each value in its box and press SAVE. Numbers outside the normal range are marked HIGH, LOW or CRIT automatically. Some lines are calculated by LabDesk; you do not type those.
Approve a report (doctor)
When all results are in, the Doctor opens the report and presses APPROVE. The report is then locked. Only an approved report can be printed.
Change a result after approval
The Doctor or Admin presses CORRECT, types a reason, and the report opens again. The earlier version is kept in the history.
Hand the report to the patient
After giving the report to the patient press MARK DELIVERED. From then on the report is permanently locked and cannot be changed or deleted.
Delete a report
Only an Admin can delete. Open the report, press DELETE, type a short reason and your own password. The report disappears from every list and from the money totals. Nothing is destroyed: an Admin can bring it back from Settings > Data & backup > Deleted reports. A report that was already delivered cannot be deleted.
Bring back a deleted report
Settings > Data & backup > Deleted reports (Admin). Press RESTORE beside the report.
Add the lab name, address and letterhead
Settings > Lab details for the name, address and phone. Settings > Report paper to upload your letterhead image and the doctor's signature, and to set how much blank space to leave. Use PRINT A TEST PAGE to check how it lines up.
Add or change tests and prices
Settings > Tests (Admin). Pick a test to change its price, units and normal ranges, or press + NEW TEST. Changes apply to new patients; reports already made are never altered.
Add a staff member
Settings > People & passwords (Admin). Press + ADD PERSON, choose what the person can do, and give them a username and password. LabDesk asks for your own password before adding or removing anyone.
Someone forgot their password
An Admin opens Settings > People & passwords, picks the person and types a new password. If the Admin forgot theirs, press "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in screen and use the recovery code that was shown when LabDesk was set up.
Change my own password
Settings > My account. Type the current password, then the new one twice.
Locked after wrong passwords
After 5 wrong passwords in a row LabDesk waits 1 minute before it accepts another try. This is on purpose, to keep the lab's data safe. The wait continues even if you close and open LabDesk. A correct password resets the count.
Stay signed in
On the sign-in screen "Keep me signed in on this computer" is ticked by default, so closing and opening LabDesk does not sign you out. Press SIGN OUT when you leave the computer, or untick the box on a shared computer.
Back up my data
LabDesk makes a backup once a day by itself while it is open. Settings > Data & backup lets you choose the folder, and BACK UP NOW makes one immediately. Choose a USB drive or another disk, not only the computer's own disk.
Back up to Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox
Install the Drive / OneDrive / Dropbox app for Windows. In Settings > Data & backup choose a folder inside it as the Cloud copy, then press SAVE BACKUP SETTINGS. Every backup is copied there and the app uploads it. To keep patient data private in the cloud, choose "Locked with a password" and write the password down.
Use a backup (restore)
Settings > Data & backup > RESTORE FROM A BACKUP, then pick the backup file. LabDesk checks it, saves a safety copy of today's data, and replaces everything with the backup. On a new computer press "Restore from a backup" on the very first screen. Afterwards sign in with the usernames and passwords the backup had.
I forgot the backup password
A locked backup cannot be opened without its password; nobody can recover it. Backups that are not locked can always be opened. Make a fresh backup and write its password down.
LabDesk closed by itself or shows a strange message
Open LabDesk again; your saved work is safe. Then go to Settings > Help and press SAVE A PROBLEM REPORT, and send that file to your software provider. It contains no patient names or results.
Is my data safe if the power goes off?
Yes. LabDesk writes every change to disk before it says "saved", so a power cut does not damage the data. Only a value you were still typing and had not saved can be lost.
Send reports by WhatsApp or email
Open a report and press WHATSAPP or EMAIL. WHATSAPP opens the patient's chat in WhatsApp Web. With the LabDesk Bridge browser extension installed, the report PDF is attached for you; without it, the report is on the clipboard, so click the message box and press Ctrl+V. In both cases you check it and press Send yourself. EMAIL sends the PDF as an attachment and must first be turned on by the Admin in Settings > Email. The PDFs are saved in Documents\LabDesk\Reports.
Where are my files?
Reports and bills: Documents\LabDesk\Reports. Backups: Documents\LabDesk\Backups (or the folder you chose). The database itself is shown on the ABOUT page.