LABDESKOne database, on your computer
Everything is kept in a single database file on the lab PC. Nothing is uploaded to LabDesk or to any service run by LabDesk.
Security
Patient records stay on your PC.
LabDesk has no cloud account and no server of its own. This page says what is stored, what can leave the computer, and who can do what.
Backups you protect with a password
Back up to a USB drive or a folder, locked with a password you choose. A locked backup cannot be opened without that password, so write it down. Restoring on a new PC brings everything back.
Four roles with their own limits
Admin, Technician, Pathologist and Reception can each do different things. Only Admin and Reception can see money. Only an Admin manages people, deletes reports and changes settings.
Passwords are protected
After five wrong passwords in a row, LabDesk makes you wait a minute, and the wait continues even if the program is closed and reopened. Staff passwords are stored in a scrambled form, not as typed.
A record of who did what
Approvals, corrections, deletions, payments and sends are written to a log. Deleting needs a reason and the Admin's own password, and an Admin can bring a deleted report back.
Reports can be checked
Every report carries a QR code and a short reference code made from the approved values. Scanning a report in LabDesk shows whether it still matches what the lab approved.
A way back if the Admin is locked out
First setup shows a recovery code once. With it, the Admin password can be reset and the Admin's username can be looked up. Keep it somewhere safe.
A power cut does not damage data
LabDesk writes every change to disk before it says "saved". Only a value you were still typing can be lost.
What can leave the computer
Only what you choose to send
Updates
A check for a new version
When LabDesk starts it asks GitHub whether a newer version exists and downloads it if so. Only the version number is asked for. You can turn this off in Settings > About.
Email
Only when you press EMAIL
Off until the Admin turns it on. The report goes through your email provider's servers and the patient's, so it is less private than a printout. LabDesk says so where you set it up.
WhatsApp
Only when you press WHATSAPP
The report is attached in your own WhatsApp Web chat, and you press Send. LabDesk never sends a message by itself.
Crashes
A problem report you choose to send
If LabDesk crashes, it offers to open an email with a short note. Patient names and numbers are removed. Nothing is sent unless you press send in your email program.
The responsibility for a report stays with the lab. Reference ranges differ between labs and methods, so have your pathologist check the ranges and units for your lab before reports go out.
Found a security problem? Please tell me privately first. Contact.