Adjudication Module

2024-03-28

LabKey Server's adjudication module may require significant customization and assistance, so it is not included in standard LabKey distributions. Developers can build this module from source code in the LabKey repository. Please contact LabKey to inquire about support options.

Adjudication is a workflow process in which two (or more) independent people (or teams) make a determination about diagnoses given certain data and criteria. Each team of adjudicators has access to the same data, but can not see the determinations made by others adjudicators until all determinations are complete.

In vaccine studies, it’s critical to know when a participant has become infected. With HIV, it is particularly important to get this diagnosis correct, and to do so in a timely manner. Having independent adjudicators reach the same conclusion raises confidence that it is correct. The adjudication module is designed to support this type of decision-making workflow. When applicable, decisions about diagnoses of different strains, such as HIV-1 and HIV-2 are made and compared independently, to ensure rapid followup on each agreed diagnoses, even if other diagnoses need more data.

An Adjudicator Team can be a single person, or may include a second 'backup' person who is equally empowered to make the determination for the team. An adjudication project must include two teams, but up to five teams may be utilized for increased confidence in diagnoses.

The people involved in an adjudication case are:

RoleDescription
Adjudication-Folder-AdministratorThe person who configures and maintains the adjudication folder. This person must have Administrator permissions on the folder or project, and will assign all the other roles via the Adjudication Users table. Note that the administrator does not hold those other roles, which means they cannot see tabs or data in the folder reserved for the specialized roles.
Adjudication Lab PersonnelOne or more people who upload assay data to create or amend adjudication cases, and can view the adjudication dashboard to track and review case determination progress.
AdjudicatorsPeople who evaluate the lab data provided and make independent determinations about infection status. Each individual is assigned to a single team.
Infection MonitorOne or more people who can view the infection monitor tab or use queries to track confirmed infections. They receive notifications when adjudication determinations identify an infection.
Adjudication Data ReviewerOne or more people who can view the adjudication dashboard to track case progress. They receive notifications when cases are created, when determinations are updated, and when assay data is updated.
Additional people to be notifiedEmail notifications can be sent to additional people who do not hold any of the above roles.

The adjudication case will complete and close when the assigned adjudicator teams make determinations that agree, and the agreement is not "further testing required." If there is disagreement, a discussion outside these tools will be required to resolve the case before it can be updated and closed. If further testing is required, new results will be uploaded when ready and the case will return to the adjudicators for new independent determinations.

Topics

Role Guides

Topics covering the tasks and procedures applicable to individual roles within the process: