Established in 2001 by the South African national government, the national health laboratory services is an institution that was created by merging the three preexisting health institutions, which are; the South African Institute for medical research, the national centre for occupational health and the national institute for virology.
It is responsible for supporting national and provincial health departments in delivering health care services to the country’s citizens through the implementation of innovative and transformative schemes and projects. NHLS employs approximately 7142 people in the country. It also has laboratories across all nine provinces of the country. The institution has also extended its arm to absorbing several provincial health departments and university-run pathology laboratories. NHLS provides a plethora of services, one of which is the track and trace service.
What is track and trace?
Track and trace is a system implemented by several countries around the world. The system is aimed at managing the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19. It allows users to be notified if they have been in close contact with a person that has tested positive for the COVID-19.
The goal is to quickly track down anyone who may have tested positive for the coronavirus and advice them to self isolate themselves and take other precautionary measures. The intricacies of the system design may differ from country to country, but the goal is the same everywhere, which is to curb the spread of the virus. You can use track and trace to monitor your symptoms and your interaction with other people by:
- Download the application to your device. The software uses Bluetooth signals to alert users if they are too close to each other.
- The system allows you to log in your symptoms. You are then advised to self-isolate if your symptoms are recurrent.
- Track and trace also contact you if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the COVID-19. You are alerted and then advised to self isolate for at least 10 days.
- It is important to get tested and be aware of your COVID-19 status to benefit from the application and system services.
The NHLS, through its trakcare and Labtrak facilities, provides track and trace services. Provincial, departmental and private-owned health care facilities, as well as health personnel, can register with the NHLS. You can register online by following these steps:
NHLS registration
- To register with the national health laboratory services,
- Go to the official NHLS website
- Click on the registration form
- Fill out the form carefully. You will be required to include personal, professional and academic details.
- Make sure the form is filled out correctly, and all information filled in is true.
- Click the submit button to complete the registration process.
NHLS trakcare
One of the many services provided by the national health laboratory services is Trakcare. Trakcare is aimed at transforming care delivery and patient experience in all health service institutions across South Africa. It uses build-in technology systems and software to provide clinical, administrative and financial information for each patient. It provides patients with information that makes for better decision-making and helps them make more informed health choices.
Its benefits are not only limited to the patients, but health care providers such as doctors also have easy access to the electronic record of patients, which gives them a comprehensive knowledge of patients’ situations. Administrators of health institutions can also understand what it takes to improve the cost and quality of health care services. How does trakcare work then? Trakcare is a web-based healthcare information system designed to enhance the care delivery experience. The system does not require its users to install any applications on their devices.
Also Read: How to Register on EVDS (Electronic Vaccination Data System)
How to search for patient results in Trakcare.
Step 1: Visit the NHLS web page and click on lab results
Step 2: log in to see your trakcare lab results by correctly entering your username and password.
Step 3: click on the green logon button to access your account. If you no longer remember your username or password, please select the ‘reset forgotten password/username” option below the space for your password, written in blue. You will then be prompted to enter your username, enter your username and click on the reset password option. After successfully resetting your password, log on to check your lab results.
Step 4: you can then search for the patient’s results using one or more parameters provided to you by the web page that opens. An output of results will appear only depending on the data you input.
Step 5: After performing the search, the patient’s information would appear. You can decide to view one test result at a time by using the view-only option.
Step 6: once you are done with your search, log out. Although the system is designed to log you out after 15 minutes of inactiveness, logging out prevents other people from possibly accessing your account.
NHLS Labtrak registration
Labtrak is medical lab software that includes features that enable users to track samples, including physician test panels, data analysis, and lab instrument interface. The system includes online support and business support during working hours. The system is available as windows software and helps you bring orderliness into your workflow. It gives its users the opportunity to monitor changes and take corrective actions during all stages of the lab process. This makes for continuous improvement from the sample collection stage to the results stage.
Along with Trakcare, the National Health Laboratory Services incorporates that Labtrak service into its system and offers a bundle. By registering with NHLS, you are privy to and have full access to its additional services. Using Labtrak contributes to the institution’s goal of providing quality health care services across South Africa. If you do not already have a Labtrak account, here is how you can register and use the software to improve service delivery:
- To register for labtrak
- Request for a registration form from the NHLS website
- Complete the form to register.
- All fields are required (any field that has an asterisk (*) must be filled in correctly for the registration to be submitted successfully)
- Fields would require personal, professional and educational details.
- After filling in the form, review your responses to ensure they have been correctly inputted.
- Then, go ahead to click on the submit button if everything is in order.
If you already have an account;
- Launch the official NHLS website on your device, or can also use www.nhls.ac.za
- Log in to your Labtrak account by correctly entering your username and password.
- Click on the green logon button to access your account. If you have forgotten your username or password, simply select the ‘reset forgotten password/username” option. You will then be required to enter your username. Enter your username and then click on the reset password option. You will be given a temporary password with which you can have access to your account. After successfully resetting your password, log on to your Labtrak account.
Health laboratory services, health care delivery and the good quality of health care services have been transformed and revolutionized by new and innovative systems that have been put in place by the national health laboratory services. It is no doubt that both patients and doctors now have direct access to clinical information that can support decisions and actions that will benefit the patients and medical personnel alike. Therefore, it is in the best interest of individuals to make use of these systems, such as the track and trace system that has been implemented to help create a safer environment for everyone.
