LabLinker: Finding Links of Laboratory Test Results between Structured Records and Clinical Notes

Laboratory test results can be stored as structured data in electronic health records (EHRs), or embedded in unstructured clinical notes. In this study, we built a system, LabLinker, to link the lab test result mentions in clinical notes to structured lab test records. We studied the data of 104 diabetes patients from 2001 to 2014, specifically, glucose and HbA1c, to demonstrate the effectiveness of LabLinker. Our results show 22% of glucose and 46% of HbA1c values in EHR are mentioned in clinical notes, and the usages of patient-owned medical devices and results from other institutions can lead to the absence of structured lab test records.